Attitude
by FalseInnocenceAmusesMe
Summary: Kai is just a normal maid at the Tres Spades Hotel and Casino until her sharp tongue gets her in trouble. Will the bidders be able to keep up with her on going sass and rebellious nature, or is she going to break the King and his men? I only own Kai, the other characters are own by Voltage Inc.
1. Chapter 1

I've always had an attitude. It didn't matter what I said unless my 'super-friendly-work-mode' was on; I always have an attitude. I've also had the issue with never being able to bite my tongue. I'll own up to it every day, but it might be one cold day in hell when I swallow my words when angry. My family attributes it to my mental health, as I seem to be the lucky child to end up with the worst of the genetic dump. Anxiety and major depressive disorder were the main culprits. I've suffered with those since I was a child so I never think of them as a big deal any more.

I come from a fairly prestigious family, well known throughout Japan as one of the ancient bloodlines. As a child I was forced to learn to play piano, learn to speak English and French, and went to a boarding school here in Tokyo itself. But after a nasty fight about my health issues, I left my family completely. Apparently, I chose to have all these issues and it's my fault that they've gotten so bad not my mother's belief that medications don't do anything. My mother had always been ruthless to me, neglect was a common theme in my childhood.

Now, at the young age of twenty-three, I've moved out of my parent's house and to Tokyo, where I work as a hotel maid at the prestigious Tres Spades Hotel and Casino. A hotel maid with anxiety, sounds great, right? Surprisingly it works, I never get anxious with guests and the compliments I get mellow me out a great deal, making me feel like I'm not just a doctor's bill waiting to happen. My life is as normal as can be: eat, sleep, woke, and get wasted on my days off.

Well, at least it was that way for like a year. Then I got myself sold at a black market auction.

I still stand by the fact I spoke respectfully after they bumped into me in the storage room. But no, that stolen statue had to be replaced. With me. I still don't understand why a priceless statue equates to hotel maid it those mobsters' minds. But I guess it doesn't matter now, since I'm waiting in this golden bird cage for the idiots who bought me. Twenty million? That's absurd. Ten million would have gotten the job done. And after what seemed like hours two men in masks finally came and got me.

"Awh, she's shaking like a dog when it gets in trouble!" The man with a caramel colored hair exclaimed, far too happy with the fact I am _is terrified._

"Ota don't tease her. Not only is she in a cage, but she was just sold. I don't think she feels as light hearted as you." The other man laughed out. He has chin-length brown hair and a red suit jacket, had she seen him somewhere before? No, it cannot be him. The same man who was the whole reason I was at that party in the first place. Oh, I was going to let him have it given the chance. "Come on, let's get this pretty lady out of that cage." The man offered out his hand to her after opening the door.

Ignoring the offer to help, I stumbled up onto shaky legs. The white dress I was put into tangled around my legs while my bare feet felt the cold floor. I kept my head down, but I could tell that my actions cause a little displeasure, or was it surprise, to go through their faces before the plastered smiles came back.

"Hah! She completely disregarded you, Baba! Can it be, a woman who refuses your charms?" The other one laughed as he watched her every move. I could feel a tight grip on either of my elbows as they lead me to an elevator.

"Where are you taking me?" My voice was small, completely unlike me.

"A place that could be said resembles dreams," the man in the maroon jacket exclaimed.

"Or it could be like a nightmare," said the other man, sticking his tongue out for me to see. He swiped a fancy gold keycard into the elevators. Wait, that card is reserved for the penthouse suites only, does that mean these two are VIP guests at the hotel? Possibly the ones who live in those special rooms?

When the elevator stopped I was led out down a hall way with only four single doors on the walls and a double door at the end of the hall. The two men threw the double doors open and ushered me inside. It was lavish. Checkered flooring, a large TV mounted on the left wall, the right wall was just windows, there was a sitting area composed of couches and arm chairs that looked to be purple velvet. But why were there five men in here with her? I thought I was bought by one person, not a group.

"We brought her," the long haired man said, nudging me forward as he walked to join the others. Looking closely at everyone's faces I recognized four of the five of them. The long haired man was definitely the man who forced me down to the I.V.C party room, then the caramel haired man was Ota Kisaki the famous Angelic Artist, there was the scary man from before that was speaking Chinese and doing an illegal gun trade, and the last man took the air out of my lungs completely. It was the King, the same man who I had been thrown into earlier today and _my boss._

"We bought you," the King said nonchalantly. As if this was the most normal thing in the world. 'What are you doing today Jim?' 'Oh you know, human trafficking, nothing huge.'

Then the mafia man spoke up, "So we caught you after all." Yeah, you did. Guess no worries for him now that I'm here, as if choking me in a hallway didn't do the trick. Good for him.

"You know this woman, Soryu?" the King muttered in disbelief to the man sitting beside him, eyeing me closely. What did he think I was a part of the mafia? That's a stretch, even for a rich boy.

"You could say that," Soryu replied coolly.

"So this is an awesome reunion and all but can we get this going?" I bluntly say, not really thinking of the exact position I was in.

"Wow, we spent twenty mill on a ball of attitude, didn't we?" The long haired man laughed as the two sitting on the couch gave me pointed glares.

"You're the reason I'm in this mess since you couldn't keep your date then forced me to come with you and _left me down there._ " I snap right back at the man, what was his name again? I huffed at the men, "I wouldn't have been down there wandering if I had been left alone to just do my job."

"Baba what is this woman talking about?" Soryu asked from the couch, frown etching deeper on his face.

"Oh, I knew I had recognized you from somewhere! This pretty lady was my date to the I.V.C tonight!"

"You lead her down there? Fully knowing that she couldn't access the elevator without the special keycard? A worthless woman like her," Soryu growled at the man. I could have sworn ice was starting to form on the ceiling that glare was so cold.

"Enough," the King interrupted, "Woman, you are not permitted to speak unless we give you permission."

"Awh, Boss, you should be nice to girls. Besides, we need to decide who gets her!" Baba stated with more gusto then I would have preferred.

"Yeah, I'm pretty fond of her already," Ota snickered at the other men.

"I don't want to waste any more of my time of this," as the circle of four men closes in on me each with their own freighting expressions, "I'll let you choose," the King finishes.

"Oh great, I get to choose between the King, a mobster, a womanizer, an artist who said I look like a dog, and…." I cast my eyes over to the man who has just been sitting at an open window smoking the whole time. He looked as put together as a bum that found a suit. I finished my thought with a tug of a smile on my lips, "a mute? Mime possibly?"

He'd let me choose, eh? Well he never said what I could choose. Shaking my head I just looked at the men in the eyes, and said, "I choose freedom?" And as the question left my lips I broke out into a sheepish smile, giggling at my own joke. I always found situations like this funny. It was how I stopped from getting irrationally anxious. A defense for myself and others.

The only one who laughed was Ota after the other four men had expressions of pure disbelief. All the glares and sinister smiles were replaced with wide eyes and mouths slightly agape. Even the mute by the window almost let his cigarette fall out of his mouth. Ota and I giggled to ourselves until Soryu breaks the tension.

"I can drown her in the bay if you would like, Eisuke." His tone was low, but I couldn't let myself get scared. Getting scared just meant a panic attack which would not do me any favors in this situation.

"I've always wanted to learn how to swim," I say, casting my gaze to the ceiling, a broad smile on my face. No, I can make it through this, as long as anyone but the King buys me. His eyes searching me creep me out, the other men I can just annoy or get some sympathy from. I don't really care for the threats they make. My mother made enough of those growing up. The Tokyo Bay actually being one of them.

"Woman, do you think this is a game? You belong to us now, do you understand or are you too stupid?" the King spat out.

"No I get it. Truly I do. But I don't really care to belong to any of you, ya know?" I say honestly while shrugging my shoulders.

"Hm, fine. Time's up then." Before I could even ask when there had been a time limit, I was already throw over someone's shoulder. Shit. The exact person I didn't want. He carried me up the back stairway up into what I presume was the actual penthouse of the hotel. He threw me down on the bed and glared at me.

"Can I help you, your highness?" I say sarcastically as I sit back up and straighten my dress back out. I look up to his ice cold eyes that, even though they were a warm brown, were glaring down at me.

"The rules for staying here and being my toy are as follows," his voice filled the quiet room, "One, do not talk back to me. Two, you may answer my questions with either 'yes' or okay'. Three, I bought you so I can do whatever I want with you." He pulls my chin closer to him as he say this before throwing my head to the side. "If you understand, undress."

I looked up at him with disbelief. Undress? How about I don't, I like that option. But of course I shrug and resign to doing what he says. I mutter to myself the entire time, choosing to ignore the absurd first two rules, "It's just like back at home, I swear he sounds just like my mother. Always thinking she is better than anyone else that has ever lived. I bet the both of them think they're better than the Prime Minister himself. How many times has mother forced me to undress in the living area or kitchen because she disproved of my outfit? Even that one time we had quests over. I was fine for dinner why was it an issue once the party itself had started? I will never understand that woman." Eisuke was carefully watching me, listening to me compare him to my own mother. I didn't really care all that much though.

After finally getting the dress over my head I turned to him in my undergarments. "You happy? Can I redress?" He started at my chest as if he were looking for something.

Huffing he turned on his heel to leave, "You can redress, woman."

"It's Kai. Not woman. Kai."


	2. Chapter 2

I was retying my dress when Ota and Baba came in to show me around the penthouse. I had no wish to go with them after I just was made to strip in front of a stranger. Not even a stranger, my boss of all people. I was still in a state of shock, but I wasn't going to let them figure that out.

"Re-doing your dress, eh? Eisuke already have his way with you?" Ota snickered as I finished smoothing out my dress. I just shot him a glare and tried to ignore them.

"That's just moving far too fast. In more ways than one, no normal man would do that." Baba speculated as he eyed for my response.

"That man wishes a woman like me would consent to him," I retorted back turning to face them. Their faces showed pure amusement as I crossed my arms and peered at them expectantly. "Now what do you want Mr. Kisaki and Mr. …what was it, Bags? Bates?"

"She forgot your name again, Baba! She really is immune to your charms!" Ota was laughing at the older man. He looked as though this was the first time anyone has ever forgotten Baba's name and I just didn't get it. It's not abnormal for someone to forget a name or two when you just met the people.

"Well, it's not like I would know your name, Mr. Kisaki, if you weren't a famous artist. I would be just as clueless if that were the case," I stated matter-of-factly. I wasn't really in the mood to be dealing with people, but I continued to go along with their banter. Ota seemed a little surprised at the fact that I would even think about the fact that he could have ended up as a regular person. "What do you two want? I would very much like to go to sleep."

"Well, we were going to show you around the penthouse floors! This is going to be your new home, after all," Baba started. My new home…you mean I won't be going back to the employee dorms? I furrowed my brow at that sentence. "Besides, Miss…Miss…"

Ota looked at Baba in surprise, "You actually forgot a woman's name? That even more amazing then her not knowing yours!"

"Hm, it would seem we have ended up in the same boat, Mr. Baba. I didn't know your name and you don't know mine. Now you see why I didn't think it was as funny the first time," I huffed at the men. Of course, the King was the only one I had actually told my name to, but I enjoyed watching the long-hair man squirm. He obviously seemed bother by the idea that he should know my name but didn't, and it made me smile ever so slightly. "Messieurs Kisaki and Baba, my name is Kai."

"Well either way you should just call me Ota. Everyone does and it will help you adjust to life here."

"I'll just stick with Mr. Kisaki, thank you. I would rather not get too comfortable with any of you," I say evenly. It's true, I don't want to get close to any of the men who helped buy me. I would think that's a reasonable reaction to the situation but the look of absolute astonishment that crossed their faces confused me. Why was that such a big deal? I would figure they both had normal women gawking and trying to hang around them enough and having me do it would just be more trouble. "So, are we doing this tour thing or just standing here in this room?"

After the two men showed me around the top two floors, I went back into the double bedroom. I suppose I'll be claiming this space as my own. Sighing, I found a quite large button-down shirt, probably Eisuke's, in the changing area of the bathroom and decided it was going to have to do for pajamas. After showering and flopping down on the overly-plush bed, the day's events started to sink in. I was no longer a free woman. I tried for so long to escape from my parents as they tried to raise the "prefect" children and had finally done it at twenty-one. Escaping meant being disowned publicly for being too rebellious, but I could live with that. Most people in Japan don't worry about what the old blood lines do anymore, these families don't hold much power without a monarch, so I basically got off easy.

Yet now, I'm back in a cage after two years of freedom. And I don't think I can get out as easily as I did before. The Ichinomiya Group is one of the old blood lines that still had a lot of power due to the company expanding into all trades. If I want to stay under the allusion of a normal maid, that doesn't have a groomed bone in her body, I would have to watch my every move. Eisuke will be able to spot someone with a "pedigree" name, even without knowing my given surname. And as much as I disliked my family, I didn't want to get them involved in this mess.

The night went by quickly as I thought about the situation I was in more thoroughly. It was already around five in the morning when I finally decided I wasn't getting any sleep. I found my way into the kitchen, thankful that the King seemed to sleep later then I did, and brewed myself some coffee. Normally, I would add milk to it, but today was a black coffee kind of day. I took my mug and walked into the living area and gazed out the window. The view was the most beautiful sight my eyes had ever seen.

Not being able to watch the sunrise over the skyscrapers in silence, I began to mutter to myself everything I needed to do today. "Okay, he'll probably get mad if I leave before he sees me today. So I won't be able to swing by my dorm before work, and I'm guessing delaying me coming up late after work is a big ol' no as well. So maybe if I skip lunch today I can grab a backpack as put the essentials in it and leave it in my locker for the end of the day. Then I'll have everything I absolutely need until I can claim the rest of my stuff. I can't afford to buy lunch every day and I doubt I'll be able to go get ingredients for his kitchen. So I'll need to make a plan of which ones I'll skip. I don't eat breakfast, so I'll have to eat lunch most days, so dinner will have to go on certain days." I began plotting the way I would handle my finances, as I couldn't cut into the amount I set aside for doctors' visits and medications.

Not really caring about the fact that I could feel the King's eyes glaring into me from across the room, I just shook my head as I watched to sun move over the horizon. I also didn't care that I was standing in a strange man's living area in his button up shirt, that only went passed mid-thigh on me, while the same man watched my every movement.

Noting the fact he was now awake at six a.m. I slowly made my way back to my room to put the dress back on, as I couldn't travel to the locker room like this, I might give a guest a heart attack. After fixing my hair and putting the dress on, I made my way back into the kitchen to wash out my empty cup. After that, I went to the door leading to the lounge area and elevators.

"Where do you think you're going, woman?" Eisuke growled from his place on the couch. He was obviously not a morning person. He sounded more like a grumpy old man telling children to get off his lawn then a CEO of a major business.

"To go clean _your_ hotel and serve _your_ guests and make sure _your_ ass doesn't get chewed out by a VIP." I snipped back. I just wanted to get down to the locker room before meeting with any of the other maids. "I'll come right back up here after my shift like a good little maid."

"You're too loud in the mornings. Wait right there until I say you can go," he stated in a cold tone of voice. Damn, does this guy have a soul or any bit of warmth in his body? I bet he's cold blooded, too. Soon after taking quietly on the phone with someone, my very own manager showed up holding two objects I wanted nothing to do with. A key card with distinct gold markings and a pager.

"Here are the items you requested, sir," Kenzaki said far too cheerily as he sets them on the table before bowing deeply. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" Oh, so the King has loyal dogs, too? I guess this is why I was always such a cat person.

"No, thank you, Kenzaki." And with a wave of the King's hand the dog scampered away down stairs. "This card is how you will be able to use the elevators to and from this level. This pager is going to only be used by me, so when I call you best be up in my sights within five minutes."

"Five minutes? Ah, right. Because not only am I a hotel maid, I'm also an Olympic runner!" I sighed as I grabbed the items from the desk. This is going to suck. I turned on my, still barefoot, heel and left the room in a huff. As I closed the door I could have sworn Eisuke muttered, "I'll find a good use for her."

By the time I made it to the dressing room I was already starting to panic, a good use for me? Like what, shark bait? I guess I did own him twenty million dollars, which is never going to be paid back monetarily. I think I would have preferred bidder #5, he was so gross I could probably slip out of his greasy grasp. Sighing I changed into my uniform and put some simple make-up on. Nothing fancy as I would prefer to blend in now that I have the attention of five very important men.

"KAI! What happened? AreyouokayChasitoandIhavebeensoworried," A young girl, no more than twenty one, burst into a full run when she saw me. After enveloping me in a choking hug she pulled away scanning my face with a look of pure worry.

"Sakiko, I see you're still a bundle of energy as always. I'm fine," I had no idea what this girl was talking about, but she was one of my good friends along with the older woman standing behind her. Sakiko always acted as if she straight-lined a five hour energy, while Chasito was calm and rational at all times.

"We were told that you had a medical emergency and had to leave right after lunch yesterday," Chasito said as she peeled the younger casino worker off of me. "Are you sure you should be working right now?"

Ah, so that's what the story was. I left due to health complications. Which wasn't all false, I was whacked over the head with something metal, and I would say being unconscious is a complication. After clearing my throat I spoke up to the girls, "I'm fine. I just ended up having some boxes fall on me in the storage room. I told Mr. Kenzaki not to worry about it but he sent me to the hospital anyways."

After brushing off all the girl's questions and daydreaming through the morning meeting I was finally at my best as I made beds. I felt focused and energized as I didn't have any eyes on me as I worked. While moving to the next room a woman, who I knew to be a famous French politician's wife, approached me. As I was talking to the woman, the pager buzzed in my pocket. Ignoring it I continued leading the woman to her room. It took about ten minutes as she didn't know much Japanese, so instead I had to switch to French, but once she was inside I finally got to look at the pager.

"Be up here in five minutes." Well, that wasn't happening. Instead of rushing up there, I figured I wouldn't alarm any guests or employees by full on sprinting to the main elevators. I slowly made my way up to the penthouse lounge a good twenty minutes after the pager went off. If you were going to be late, better to be really late.

"What did you call me up here for?" I said, obviously annoyed that I was missing my very important lunch break for this. I was supposed to be getting my stuff for bring up here.

"You're late," the King looked at me with a glare that could make the devil run with his tail between his legs. Well, maybe you should have called when I wasn't working. That would have made things easier on the both of us.

"I didn't think the wife of Perrineau would have appreciated it if I just ran away after she asked for help. The French don't take kindly to disrespect," I said as I tried not to show the shiver that went down my spine as the King's gaze settled on me. "The VIP guests always come first," I finished as I looked back into his brown eyes. How come he got to be rich _and_ gorgeous? It was simply not fair to the rest of us.

"No, I come first. Are you forgetting that I own this hotel and you?" he growled back at me. That wasn't right, the guests always come first, and that's the whole thing about working at a hotel. Make sure everyone who is paying to be here gets the best treatment possible. I furrowed my brow at the statement, but I don't think this man has ever considered anyone else's happiness but his own. He might be pretty, but looks weren't enough to cover the fact he was vile. "The reason I called you up here is because I finally found a use for you. You're going to be my girlfriend from now on."

I chewed those words over in my head. The other men, who I had just now noticed were in here as well, turned towards the King and voiced their concerns about this decision. I wasn't really paying attention to all of this, as I was mulling over the effects of this on my life. Just thinking about this man, no this overly rich child, linking arms with me as we attended parties was just hysterical to me. Before I know it I was on the ground clutching my stomach with tears streaming down my face laughing.

"You want me, just think about it, _me_ to be your girlfriend? Are you trying to ruin everything you've built up, 'cause this plan will certainly do that. Me, a smart-mouthed maid at your very own hotel, as the CEO and heir to the Ichinomiya Group's girlfriend. Oh, the press would get a kick out of it!" I just continued laughing as the almighty King etched a disapproving frown at my reaction. Was he expecting me to be afraid or upset? But this idea was far too ridiculous. Whipping away my tears I stood up while a goofy grin played on my face. This guy was insane.

"You will behave as my woman. You will not go making any scenes while on my arm, do you hear me?" he aggressively stated, pushing his way off the couch and over to me.

"You're gonna have a hand full with that one, 'suke." I didn't recognize that gruff voice, so I whipped my head around to see the bum-in-a-suit smirking over at us as he read something in his lap. Looking closely at all the men, they were all really pretty, like princes in a fairytale. Princes with twisted ideas of fun.

"And who exactly are you? I don't think we've been introduced, Mr. Mime." I said walking over to him. As I looked the man over I took in his shaggy hair that covered the tops of his grey eyes, and what had captivated those eyes were a police file. "Oh, does the bum have a job as a cop? Or does he just like to play pretend?"

This gained a laugh from Baba and Ota and a smirk from the mobster. Eisuke was still very displeased with me, it would seem. I just couldn't help the fact I got distracted easily. Like a third grader with art supplies.

"Awh, look Mamo! Even Kai knows you aren't a real detective!" Baba snorted out as he laughed with the young artist.

"Looks like she is very perceptive, then again a slacker like Kishi doesn't do much to hide it," Soryu said as he smirked at the cop.

"Enough, woman you should only focus on me, it's important that you do not screw this up." The King was in such a bad mood. I wonder if the jester could do anything to brighten his mood up. I just happen to be the best jester I know.

Sighing, I turned to look back at the increasingly annoyed CEO, "If it was that important for your girlfriend to not screw up you should have picked a better person to force into being your little snookums. I wouldn't think a man as rich as you would be so desperate that he had to spend twenty million just for a girlfriend." I smirked as he growled at my response.

"Who do you think you are? You do not have room to defy me."

I pretended to look hurt as the other men laughed at how unafraid I was to talk back. "I'm just the poor jester working for her King. Besides, it's the jester's job to make the kingdom," as I talked I gestured to the other four men as I said kingdom, "Laugh at the expense of one." I rolled my wrist and bowed towards Eisuke as the words came out of my mouth. Eisuke looked as though he could tear my head off at any moment, but as I heard the chuckling coming even from Kishi and Soryu I straightened up. "It would appear my job here is done. Jester Kai is forever at the King's service," I said as I left the room to return to my actual job.

After working the rest of my shift I was about to slip into the dorms to grab my things, only to be stopped by the King forcefully dragging me to the shopping floor of the hotel. After trying on about twenty dresses and receiving nothing but insults, he decided for a black bustier top dress. It was agonizing, especially since I wasn't allowed to give my opinion at all. Apparently this man had a very specific style of dress he wanted me to be seen it, which was fine except he didn't know what it was until he saw it. After that I was again put into multiple types of heels and then given to make-up artists to work on.

It's not like I couldn't do all of this by myself, and more quickly, but he was having none of it. Finally, he took me to the jewelers and picked out nothing but diamond jewelry. The one colorful stone I was adorned with was an emerald on my ring, which seemed a little out of place among the clear jewels. I looked around the shop and noticed a beautiful sapphire necklace.

"It's gorgeous, and so expertly cut," I muttered to myself as I admired the dark blue gem. If my dress wasn't a black, I would have lobbied to have the sapphire instead of the emerald.

"You have awful taste. That would look terrible with your dress," the King shot at me. "Just let me handle this."

I shot him a look of annoyance, "Obviously I know the dark blue would not go with the black dress- that would be too dark of an accent for this. Green is much better suited for this situation. I was merely noting on the fact that the briolette cut on the sapphire was astonishingly well-done. Also, it's a flawless gem, which you don't see often, especially with such a common gemstone. Sapphires aren't normally praised for their clarity, rather usually being recognized for their abundance of colors. Thought, most commonly known for a middle shade of blue." I ended my small rant as I eyed the necklace, not caring to watch the look of displeasure cross his face.

"Just be quiet and attend to me. All I'll make sure you get more attention tonight at the party then you've had in your entire life." He snarled at me.

Later that night as he led me around the I.V.C party, mingling with business partners and envious ex-girlfriends, and I grew increasingly bored. It was the type of boredom a student gets as the teacher drones on in monotone, where you're semi-interested in what's happening around you but not what matters. I started looking around and partaking in people watching, and boy, where there some interesting people here. The five bidders being among them. Baba flirted with at least ten women in succession, Ota went between overly friendly mode to bored as all hell multiple times, Soryu was glaring at people and talking in hushed tones to those brave enough to approach him, and Kishi was smoking in the corner of the room looking as if he was going to pass out from exhaustion. Though, this activity only managed to get me scolded as Eisuke took me over to an elderly looking man who was tending the bar.

"Rabbit." The King said to the man nonchalantly. Huh? What, was Bugs Bunny let loose in here or something? He would be famous enough, though.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ichinomiya. What can I get you this evening?" The bartender said in a monotone voice. He looked utterly disinterested in the conversation.

"Due & Proper." I gave him a look of pure confusion. This had to be the most confused I had been during this whole string of events that has been my life these past few days.

"I would have pegged you as a wine drinker, not someone who enjoys carrot juice strung up with whiskey," I peered at the man, looking at his face for a response. All I got was his stony face with a throaty grunt. While I was preoccupied with judging the man's drink choice, the bartender was busy opening up a locked door.

"Welcome to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party." So now I'm in a children's story book. Great. Shaking my head, I followed behind the King as he walked into the room, which was adorned solely with mirrors on every wall.

"Awh, a room made especially for you to admire yourself," I said as I eyed the glorified dressing room. Either my remark landed of deaf ears, or he was finally ignoring me, Eisuke pushed down a panel that opened up a secret elevator in the room. "Ooooh, secret passage ways. I didn't know this hotel doubled as a haunted mansion!"

"Be quiet and get in," Eisuke was not dealing with me at all tonight. Maybe he blew a fuse after what happened in the lounge today. As we descended onto floor B10, I could feel the chill in the air. As the elevator doors opened, the King pushed a silver mask into my hands. Realizing that it was the same type of mask Baba and Ota had on last night made me visibly shiver. I'm going back there? Did I actually push him into re-selling me?

Putting on the mask I stepped out behind him and followed up into a high booth. From this area, you could see the stage and the auctioneer clearly. "Why did you bring me here?" My voice was quiet. There were too many people in here and the balcony was surprisingly small for the five adults, and knowing that if I had to leave I would have to wade through masked strangers made my chest tighten considerably.

"You ask too many questions. Use your brain, if you have one." Wow, such a help. I ended up having to close my eyes as the room grew dizzy. It was such a large room, so why was it hard to _breathe_? Unconsciously, I gripped my left wrist tightly, as if to reassure myself that I was still awake. I could feel my body shaking violently.

"Boss, you sure it was smart bring Kai down here?" Baba asked cautiously. No, don't listen to them. Just focus on yourself. Focus your breathing. Count. Make a list.

"Your puppy looks sick." Ota added in, poking my back.

"I'm not a damn _dog_." I growled to the man. My brows were furrowed and a look of great distress was etched on my face. I would rather be up on stage again, at least there lights blocked out most of the people from my sight. "And I would advise against you touching me unless you wish for bidder #100 to get thrown over the edge."

After that mostly empty threat I could hear a click of a tongue. As the voice sighed I heard, "You all talk too much, just focus on the auction and not the woman." Apparently, Soryu could not care less about how I was reacting. Thank god, someone with their priorities straight: business first, random women having panic attacks second.

After ten more items went by, the majority being organs, I heard Eisuke speak up. "Tsk, nothing special. It seems the auction is running smoothly, let's get back up to the lounge." Standing up quickly, I walked to the back of the box at a brisk pace. I didn't even look at the men, just kept my eyes on the ground as I walked. I stayed like this all the way up to the lobby.

"Follow close behind me." I heard after getting out of the elevator. I nodded and gave out a barely audible "okay" before making myself inseparable from Eisuke's back. Before long there's a crowd surrounding us and a local finance manager approached us.

"Mr. Ichinomiya! It's lovely to see you again. I don't think I've been made acquaintance to this beautiful woman. Please, introduce us!"

"Ah, Mr. Saionji, the pleasure is all mine," the business smile was back in full force and I watched the King's face as he talked. I could sense what was about to happen, so I tried to angle myself so that none of the prying hotel staff could see my full face. The only two people who could have seen me was Kenzaki and Takahiro. "This is my girlfriend."

I couldn't have heard the sentence leave his lips before a chorus of shrieks erupted from the women who were grasping at his arm. "Eisuke's girlfriend?!" rang out as the sopranos from what seemed like the entirety of Japan screamed in disbelief. Gasps could be heard all around the lobby, myself drawing in a sharp breathe as well.

I was far from alright, with breathing still being hard after being around so many people in the auction hall, it felt like I was drowning when the same amount of people had their eyes dancing all over me. I held my head up, as I would have thought to be appropriate, and gently put pressure on his arm. If I stayed here for a minute longer I was sure I would be in a spell of sobs on the floor.

Either taking the tug as a hint or feeling me trembling, Eisuke wrapped up his conversation with Saionji and got us to the elevator. After the doors closed I backed myself into the corner and shut my eyes. My breathing was ragged and getting worse as time went on. As the door opened I rushed past the King muttering a string of "I'm sorry"-s to the room, paying no mind to the strange looks the men were giving me.

When I finally got into my room I fell to the floor in a pile of sobs. I knew in that moment that I needed to get to my dorm tomorrow, so that I could get my medication before making a fool out of myself and the King.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up this morning tangled inside multiple fluffy blankets, which was strange to me, because I could have sworn I fell asleep on the floor last night. After showering and taking extra care to cover up the dark circles under my eyes I started to get dressed. I was incredibly groggy the morning, but noting that I woke up later than normal I opted to skip coffee and leave straight for work. I walked right past the stony faced man, my eyes glued to the floor as I was still ashamed I showed the men how scared I was last night. I bee-lined to the doorway and before I could quietly slip out I heard the King say in monotone, "If I page you better be up here in five minutes today."

"I'll do what I can depending on when you page me." I managed out in a confident voice even though that was the opposite of what I was feeling. I quickly made my way down to the employee changing room. It was buzzing with talk of the mysterious woman Mr. Ichinomiya was with last night, but they all greeted me just the same which meant I did a good job hiding my face.

"Kai! You missed the most heart breaking thing last night! The King now has a girlfriend! And you know it's serious when he took the time to introduce her in front of the I.V.C guests!" Sakiko was on me as I reached my locker, "Now I'll never have a chance!"

I chuckled as she whined. "Sakiko, do you really think Mr. Ichinomiya would fall in love with a maid at his own hotel? That man has groupies for days that have a better chance than us," I gently said to the overly-dramatic casino worker. I chuckled lightly at the ironic situation only I seemed to be aware of. I listened to the women gossip about who the woman could be and how beautiful she must be, which gave me a boost of self-confidence. After the morning meeting I went up to my floor as I was working alone again today.

As I cleaned in the much welcomed silence, I heard a soft knock at the door as it slowly opened, before even looking at the person entering I quickly launched into my speech, "I'm so very sorry, but this room is not ready or open to guests yet, I can lead you back to the- oh hi!" I stopped as soon as I saw it was the concierge Takahiro Kuroba.

"Hello, Kai, I was just doing some checks on your floor and wanted to say that you're doing a fantastic job, as always." The tall, brown haired man gave me a smile that melted my heart. He was looked up to by all the maids because he stood up for everyone while also being genuine about his compliments. He was my favorite co-worker, well boss in a way, and talking to him made me remember just how much I loved my job.

"Thank you so much, sir! Hearing that just makes me want to work even harder," I gave him a wide grin as I bowed to him.

"I'm glad I could see you smile like that, Kai. It seemed like you weren't having a good time last night, so I'm happy to know you're alright." I face dropped as he mentioned the party, I had forgotten that he and Kenzaki could clearly see my face. I looked away from him as I nodded to his statement. "You looked quite beautiful in that dress, it was almost as if you were a different person. But I prefer you in your uniform because that's when you look happiest," Takahiro said sincerely. That just made my smile return, hearing this perfect, kind man call me beautiful. I hadn't heard anyone compliment me since I was a teen, and it made me so happy to know that even in the situation I was in my personality still showed to other people around me.

We said or goodbyes and I finished up the room I was working on and was leaving for lunch as my stomach hurt from lack of food. I really needed to get to my dorm and grab my stuff while getting food at the café. I made it down to the lobby and was almost out the doors when my pager buzzed. Sighing, I turned around without looking at the message and headed for the elevators.

Walking in to the lounge I saw that the only other man in here besides the King was Baba. "May I help you with something, your highness?" I asked in a tired tone of voice. Just being in their presence made me feel exhausted.

"You're going to the I.V.C again tonight, you'll wear this," Eisuke said while pointing to a champagne colored dress with what I notice to be the sapphire necklace next to it along with new shoes. "I have a very important client to introduce you to so be on your best behavior. Be ready in ten minutes so we can go get your make-up and hair done before the party starts."

I gave him a hard look. "It's only 1 o'clock, the party doesn't start for another six hours. That's quite a long time to just get my hair and make-up done."

"They have a lot to fix on you," he said nonchalantly with a smirk on his face. I bit my tongue on that one, I was too tired to argue today. I knew I wasn't the most stunning girl in the world and certainly wasn't up to par with the models he saw every day, but I still was a human with feelings. It was a total one-eighty from talking with Takahiro.

"Come on, Boss, that was a little harsh," Baba interjected into the conversation. "All women are gorgeous! They are precious creatures for you to love and shower with affection! Besides, I don't know what you're talking about, Kai is absolutely striking as she is!" He gave me a wink and a dazzling smile.

"Well, it doesn't matter. My shift doesn't end until six so I'll make sure I'm up here to change after I've clocked out." I said as I turned on my heel to leave. I wasn't going to let this man get to me anymore the he already had. I was thankful I had work as an excuse, I had a feeling that I was going to be what kept me going as the next couple of days went on.

"I've already called Kenzaki and told him you would not be returning to your shift. Your job now is to attend to me as my woman," Eisuke interjected as I reached for the door handle. I froze as the blood in my body turned cold. He called me off of work? He could _do_ that?

"Could you at least brief me on who I'm going to be forced to interact with tonight before we go, so I don't make a fool out of myself again?" I asked quietly, still turned towards the door. It was going to be a long afternoon.

After four hours of protesting, I was finally in my dress and getting my hair pinned up in curlers while the King sat in the waiting room. The atmosphere was awkward as he told the hair dressers what he wanted for my hair and I sat there not making eye-contact with him. I was thankful that those who work in the stores and cosmetics don't interact with the maids at all, and weren't allowed into the locker rooms meant for the service workers. They didn't know who I was and they didn't ask any questions.

It was the same situation as I was plastered with make-up, the artists working silently as he watched for the waiting area. After the women were done I glanced at myself in the mirror, and was taken aback at how I no longer looked like myself. The contouring made my normally round, even face into one with angles and protruding cheekbones. I doubt even if the other maids saw me like this they would know it was me, which made me relax.

"You now look acceptable to be on my arm, woman," Eisuke said with a self-satisfied grin.

I shook my head and just replied back, "Kai. My name is Kai. You really should learn that before you ruin this act for yourself." Though, I would have found it funny if he managed to break down the act in front of his client just because he didn't know my name.

As we made our way down the grand stair case to get to the main ballroom, I spotted Takahiro staring at me. I gave him a self-depreciating half-smile as we made eye contact. He looked as though he had several things he wanted to say to not only me, but the man beside me who was oblivious to the interaction happening between us hotel workers. After a couple seconds Takahiro gave me a wide smile and pointed at it, and I quickly grasped the meaning. He wanted to see me smile like earlier today, and I gave him the best one I could manage. Nodding in approval he went back to his work, and I was dragged away into the party.

After an hour of being "on my best behavior" which mainly consisted of listening to the King talk with random business associates and smiling when addressed, he finally seemed to have spotted the man he was so concerned about me meeting tonight. His whole body slightly tensed as he led us over to an elderly man smoking a cigar.

The business smile was back on as he greeted the man, "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Bucci. How are you enjoying your time in Japan?"

"Eisuke! It's been far too long, you're looking well. I'm having a marvelous time so far." The other man, Bucci, said in a thick Italian accent even though he spoke perfect Japanese.

"I knew you were coming, so I made sure to look my best," Oh shut up. He looks the same as always, it was me who had to go through hours of prep work just for this meeting. The two talk about a business deal that Mr. Ichinomiya apparently is angling to be a part of and I stop trying to follow the conversation half way through. Then the conversation turns to me.

"Is this beautiful woman just arm candy tonight?" The Italian laughed as he blew smoke out of his cigar.

Pushing me forward ever so slightly, the King speaks to both of us, as if to relay the information to me as well, "No, this woman is my girlfriend. Kai, introduce yourself." Mr. Ichinomiya said in a slightly forceful tone.

Bowing my head to the elderly man, I said in a slightly shaky voice "My name is Kai Shimizu. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. I look forward to seeing your relationship with Eisuke grow both economically but also personally." I hope this got me a few brownie points with the monarch on my arm. I had been trained to say such things, but I was obviously out of practice.

"Hm, I see. My daughter will be very disappointed that you have yourself a woman now. I trust you will still show her around while she is in Japan?" Bucci said in a slightly disapproving tone, eying me as he spoke.

Undeterred from the other man's tone, Mr. Ichinomiya gave a low chuckle as he explained that he thought he was old enough to start settling down, and secure the Ichinomiya Group's heir. Bucci seemed to accept that answer, and we soon parted ways from the man. But as we turned to leave, the Italian pulled me aside slightly and whispered into my ear, "You will surely have your hands full with a man like Eisuke, make sure you keep him on a leash."

Thankfully, we didn't attend the auction that night. I don't know whether it was because of my show last night or if the King was bored. Either way, I sighed with relief from being able to return to the penthouse. The stony-faced man sat roughly on the couch and sighed as well. "Water," he barked in my direction.

"Have you forgotten how to say 'please' when asking others to get something for you? If so, I strongly recommend making the addition to your vocabulary." I shot back, but even I knew he wasn't going to ask kindly. As much as I hated to admit it, I could sass the man all I wanted to, but I was in no position to actually reject to doing any of his commands, I thought bitterly as I poured two glasses of water and set one down on the table for him. "So it would seem you're having female problems. I take it that's why you ended up spending twenty million on a girlfriend, just so you can get a free pass on having to reject a business partner's daughter."

He shot me a sideway glance as he opened up his tablet to look through any messages he may have missed, "So you can use that empty head of yours after all. I'm amazed that's possible. Bucci is a part of the Italian mob."

I stayed quiet as the words sank in, but I wasn't as surprised as I probably should have been. I was sold at a fucking black market auction in the hotel I worked at, I kind of expected for me to get tangled in even more illegal business. "Ah, so you really can't just reject to poor girl or else Italy's finest pasta eaters will be on your tail. But if he's a mobster, why don't you just send Mr. Tokyo Bay to do the business deal, profits all around."

"Soryu wouldn't be able to help with this deal. I need a direct tie to Bucci. But it would seem his daughter has fallen in love with me. Unfortunately for Carolina, I don't have feelings for her."

"That's because you don't have _feelings_ ," I muttered under my breath. He only thing this man has any palpable emotion for is money. That glare he gave be could have frozen hell over, but I just shrugged. "I still don't get why you wouldn't just use one of your groupies. They would have fought Carolina for you tooth and nail."

"It's easier to have someone who doesn't harbor feelings for me. It's also a plus that you're completely expendable if Carolina has a mental break down over the rejection." He nonchalantly said. I nodded at the fact I could follow his thought process for once. I can be wiped off the face of the earth and no one would bat an eye. A cruel smile played on his lips as he continued explaining my role, "You're the wildcard that will make my deal go through smoothly. If you do a good enough job, I'll set you free. You're performance tonight, however, was terrible. If you continue performing in that manor, you will be eliminated."

I started walking to my door while shooting back, "On paper it's easy to believe that I'm expendable. But like you said, I'm a wildcard, one who isn't afraid of being destroyed if it means I can take you down with me."

Waking up has gotten easier for me, even though the room is still strange for me. I went to work as normal and worked up until past the normal lunch break maids take. I made sure to check the pager before stopping by my dorm to create a bag of necessities that I would take back to the penthouse. I threw in underwear, snack food, my court documents from three years ago, and most importantly my medications. I also threw out the expired food that was in my fridge, and found that I had an apple that I could eat for lunch. Noting that I still had fifteen minutes of break left, I went to the employee lunch room to sit down and enjoy the only food I would have had in days. As I sat in the desolate break room, I was surprise when Takahiro came in after me.

"Kai, have you been working yourself too hard? You're just now taking lunch even though it's almost two in the afternoon." He said with a concerned expression. Sitting down across from me, he opened up his own untouched lunch.

I looked down and bowed my head to him, "No, sir. I just wanted to make sure I finished my two floors before taking a break, Mr. Kuroba."

"Please, just call me Takahiro. It feels so distant when you address me like that. And I would hate for there to be distance between us." He said with one of his heart-warming smiles. It made a smile grow on my face before I could even take in what he was saying. I didn't want to get my hopes up, so I tried to convince myself he meant it in a way a teacher wants to be trusted by their students.

"Of course, Takahiro. Thank you for being concerned about me. But it would seem I'm not the only one neglecting my stomach," I gestured to his own uneaten food. He gave me a hearty laugh and agreed. As we started to begin our conversation, I felt my heart slam into my throat as the pager vibrated furiously in my pocket. My smile disappeared instantly as I stood up and bowed to my lunch partner. "I'm so sorry, sir, I mean Takahiro, but it would seem I have to go do something urgent. Please forgive me for being so rude."

As I was rushing out of the room, I heard Takahiro mournfully say, "Kai, please don't forget how to smile." I didn't have time to think about that, though, as I made my way to the lounge. As soon as I walked in a dress was shoved into my hands and I ran up the stairs to change without listening as to why I was changing.

After I come down stairs in the dress and heels, I'm pulled off to the casino. Absolutely exasperated that I was pulled away from work, again, I asked in a strained voice, "Why are we here, Mr. Ichinomiya?" I was so tired of being carted off away from my work. Away from my kind coworker who was reminding me to smile and be happy while I can.

"The casino is a place to make money and test your luck. Those are two things mobsters love to do, meaning this is the optimal place to show Bucci our relationship." He took me by the elbow and led me to the roulette table. His expression is gentle and he softens his voice when speaking to me, "After you, Kai. Do you know how to play?"

"I'm afraid not. I've never been to a casino before," I said as he slips his arm around my waist. I gently lean into him, trying to seem as intimate as I can without actually looking at him.

"Roulette is a beginner game, so it will be easy for you to learn," he said as he places a few chips down for me. "I'll teach you so understand. Bet on whatever you would like to, it's all about watching for patterns." He gives me a light kiss on the temple.

I give my best smile as he rests his cheek against mine. I hate that he is this close to me, but I hate myself even more for letting it get me flustered. "Well, I'll do number 4 black, please." He speaks the rest of the rules into my ear as I play and watch the way the ball bounces. Eventually he kisses me again on the temple, and I whisper slightly aggressively, "Oh, _darling_ , don't you think this is a bit much for being in public?"

As if on cue, Mr. Bucci appears at our side laughing with amusement as he watches us act intimate with each other. "You're such a show off, Eisuke! First your casino is so lavishly decorated and outfitted, then you're making sure everyone knows just how in-love you are with Miss Kai!"

Moving away from me to greet the man, Mr. Ichinomiya acts as if he never would have guessed Bucci was in the casino. Apparently, gambling can only cure so much boredom, and before I have time to comprehend I'm being signed up to show a mob boss around the Tres Spades. I was used to giving guests tours as a part of my job, but knowing that I was going to have to keep my act up as the CEO's girlfriend while doing it was frightening and made me anxious beyond belief.

After curing the Italian's boredom for about an hour, we were finally freed when he was called away on business. If there were two things I had learn the entire time we walked around the hotel, it was that one: my coworkers were oblivious to anything that stood next to the King and two: mobsters really want to know about people's personal lives. He had asked me about everything from how I started working at the Tres Spades to the pre-school I attended.

All the men had gathered in the lounge as we returned from giving our tour. I pay little mind to them, because the less I know and get involved, the better. I'm about to go change when I hear the King say, "This woman is seriously useless."

I turned to him and gave him a glare to match the one he was giving me. "Do you care to explain that statement or just pout like a child who wasn't given dessert?"

"When Mr. Bucci asked how we met, you started to get flustered and couldn't answer right away. You should be thankful I was there to answer for both of us."

"Yes. Thankful because I was in a situation I _totally_ wanted to be in, pretending to be your girlfriend is exactly want I want to be doing with my life. Also, you have no reason to be angry with me, as far as I see it I played my role perfectly." I spat back at him.

"Boss you really shouldn't be so mean to her, she's doing the best she can," Baba said in a gentle voice, trying to dispel the tension building up between us.

"Really, 'suke, how else do you expect a kid like her to act in front of a mob boss? She was probably terrified the entire time," Kishi said with a smirk on his face. He was enjoying the drama show that happened every time the King and I weren't in front of the public.

"You should have just hired a prostitute, not some normal woman who doesn't know how to act in difficult situations. She was a mistake." Soryu said from his position from the couch. If I was a mistake, I was going to make sure the King knows just how badly a mistake can ruin him.

"Bucci has been around prostitutes his whole life. He can spot them a mile away, what he can't spot is a normal woman who has never been exposed to this life." The King said, tired of the conversation. His dark brown hair fell over his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He might have been done with this topic, but I was not. In fact, I was just getting started. "You literally just justified me being flustered. Do you not understand what having a normal girl as your girlfriend means? Normal women are taught not to show affection in public places, and it is strongly frowned upon to speak about one's love life to elders or superiors. Having a normal girlfriend means that she is going to not know how to respond in that situation because all her life she is told to keep her mouth shut about this topic. So if you wanted someone to be able to answer everything without blinking an eye, normal is not the route to go." I was yelling at this point. I couldn't grasp how he had not thought about the stigma women face.

I had started to shake and the room grew dizzy, and I immediately knew that my anxiety was going to get the best of me. I marched up the stairs in a huff before he could answer. I was so angry that he would get on my case for playing the part as a normal girl perfectly fine. As I made my way up the stairs I could hear Baba, Ota, and Kishi all laughing at the fact I would speak so fiercely to my owner. I fell face first into the bed, and it felt as though my body was going to break from the stress of my predicament.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up extremely late the next day knowing I had the day off. I loved sleeping in such fluffy blankets, but also missed my own bed in the dorms. I grabbed a glass of water and took my medication that would surely make today go by smoother. Getting dressed in tight skinny jeans and crop top, I was already planning on running to the mall and getting retail therapy. Noting that the King was in his office working, I decided to wait until he came out to tell him my plans.

Sighing, I went to the kitchen to find food, only to find none in the vicinity. I decided to venture down into the lounge to see it made snacks were stored somewhere rather than facing the fact I might have to interact with Mr. Ichinomiya. After searching, and only finding wine, I sat down by the window. I didn't think it would be a smart idea to leave the penthouse without the King knowing. After watching the clouds pass by for a while, I was surprised to hear Baba walking into the lounge.

"What's a pretty lady like you doing pouting by a window? Shouldn't you be getting be enjoying your day off?" He chuckled as he came up and sat beside me.

"I could ask you the same thing, Baba. It's quite a beautiful day for any of us to be inside," I sheepishly looked down as my stomach made a loud growl. Damn, did it hurt, "I was looking for food but the kitchen upstairs only has bottled water and coffee beans. And all I found down here was wine."

"Hm, well, as I'm sure you know by now, Boss only ever orders room service when he eats here at the hotel. That's how you two have been getting breakfast and dinner these past few nights." Baba said as he looked through the window.

"Oh. I haven't actually seen any food while in the penthouse." I said, not recalling even seeing Mr. Ichinomiya eat, not even at the I. . I hadn't thought much of it, and it would just make sense that a soulless man like him wouldn't need any soul food.

"Wait, are you saying," Baba gave me a hard look as he studied my face and small frame, "Kai, when was the last time you ate?"

It took me a while to answer as I thought back on the last couple of days. I finally shrugged when I had found my answer, "I think it was lunch the day I got bought. I try to leave early so I don't have to deal with the King, and he keeps making me miss my lunch breaks, and then he has taken me around the hotel where I can't be seen pigging out while being his date. So I think that's the last time I ate." Obliviously he was not happy about my answer, so I tried to make it better by excitedly saying, "I had a couple bites of an apple yesterday, though!"

Baba was speechless. He just kept looking at me with this look of disbelief that I had gone three whole, stressful days without something to eat. I had done this before, so I didn't think much of it, just the fact that my stomach hurt every time it growled made it a problem I wanted to fix. When he finally spoke it was almost as if he was afraid by talking he would break me, "Kai, darling, you know you could have taken a lunch after he called you up here, or asked him to get you food after the party, right?"

"No, because when I'm up here getting ordered around, I'm not working so that constitutes as my break. Whether I eat or not, when I'm up here I'm not helping guests, so I'm not doing my job. I can't ignore that." I said firmly. It wouldn't be fair if I was talking up here for thirty minutes, then took another thirty minutes to eat. I looked away as I said the next part, "Besides, I owe that heartless man twenty million, I don't want to add a plate of pancakes to that debt. I don't think I could ever push myself to ask for his help with anything. I would rather starve."

Sighing, Baba looked behind him then back to me. Gently taking my hand he helped me up and led me to the doors of the lounge. "I'm taking you to the café down stairs. You need food to function." As he dragged me to the door, I thought I saw a dark figure standing on the stairs watching us leave. "I'll make sure Boss knows where you are, so you don't get in trouble. And don't even think about trying to pay for your meal or pay me back. This is my way of apologizing that we didn't do something sooner. I will be talking to Boss about this," It was almost as if Baba was speaking to someone other than myself, but I thought nothing of it.

What did get me thinking was the fact he was giving me permission to leave. I decided to speak up, "Can you just let Mr. Ichinomiya know that I'm going to the mall? I really want to get out of the hotel, but I haven't seen him today, but I don't think I should just leave randomly. Can you please do that for me?" I pleaded to the crimson jacketed man. He looked doubtful for a second, then nodded his consent. I thanked him profusely before grabbing my purse and running towards the elevator.

While on my way to the mall, I noticed the normally-packed Hawaiian café is practically empty. Well, empty enough to get seated without a wait time. I was looking intently at the menu when my attention was drawn to a man stopping beside my table, looking up I saw a smiling Takahiro. "Kai! I didn't know you enjoyed this type of food! Is it alright if I eat with you today? Unless you're waiting for somebody, that is."

Nodding, I moved aside my purse so he had a place to sit. "Hello, Takahiro, how are you today? Of course you can join me, it'll make up for the fact that I ran away from you yesterday! I've never actually eaten here before and wanted to try their famous pancakes."

His light brown eyes shined as I invited him to sit with me. "I'm doing research and finding tourist hotspots so the front desk can make better suggestions to the guests. I was actually thinking about getting their pancakes, as well." I was incredibly happy, it felt like I was a school girl how got asked to a dance by her crush. I admired Takahiro for his kindness and ability to forgive. He gave me a reminder as to why I should smile every day.

We ordered our meals and soon after we got our plates. We "toasted" our forks together before biting into the fluffy mass on our forks. The pancakes had syrup, caramel sauce, nuts, and loads of fruit piled on top, making it incredibly sweet to the taste. We locked eyes and both started laughing as we exclaimed in unison, "SO SWEET."

We laughed along as we talked about work and how we feel the new employees are going to fair with the tyrant Erika running the place behind Kenzaki's back. After finishing our pancakes, I felt my phone start to vibrate. "Excuse me, but my phone is ringing. I'm incredibly sorry," I said as I looked into my purse, only to find out that it wasn't my phone, but the pager bouncing wildly.

"Is everything okay? Do you need to leave? You look a little paler then normal," Takahiro asked worriedly, and I just looked back at him with a smile. The King was going to have to wait today, at least until after I paid my half of the bill and enjoyed my bit of happiness. I reassured him that it was no big deal and I just had to go back to the hotel after lunch was finished. "No, no you should go. I'll cover your part of the bill." This man would not take "no" for an answer. Instead I got him to agree to me giving him the money during tomorrow's shift, and I made my way back to the hotel as slowly as I could.

Strolling into the lounge I was faced with all five of the men, "His royal highness called?" I was really sad that I had to leave Takahiro at the café, maybe if I had gotten to stay it could have turning into a date. Those thoughts just made me sadder though, because Takahiro was the only person who actually knew it was me and thought I was Eisuke Ichinomiya's girlfriend. I resigned myself into thinking it would never work out between us; all because of the King's fantastic plan.

"Took you long enough, do you not know how to use your legs?" He growled at me.

"I didn't want to get sweaty. Besides, it's a beautiful day for a park through the city." I said in a snarky tone of voice.

He gave a throaty grunt, but continued his statement, "Tomorrow you're taking the day off to help show Carolina around Tokyo with me. Make sure you are awake by your normal time as her jet flies in at nine in the morning."

I blinked my eyes in disbelief, and my mouth was saying words faster than I could think them, "You mean to tell me you called me all the way back to the hotel just for this? You seriously could have just called me or waited for me to come back. Hell, you could have left this as a message on the pager itself!"

"I wanted to tell you right now, in person. Is there and issue with that?" He asked while turning his attention to his laptop. Ota was snickering in the corner, and I could tell Baba wanted to ask me something, probably whether I had eaten yet or not.

"Yes there is an issue with that. Not only are you taking work away from me, but you don't even have the decency to let me enjoy my time away for you!" I snarled at him. "I was even out eating lunch with Takahiro."

The King's eyebrows moved up his forehead slightly. "Who is Takahiro?"

"You don't even know the names of the people you work with every day? Is the uniform the only way you, as the big boss of this build, know who is a guest and who works for you? That's just sad."

Ota was the one to speak up before this conversation went any further, "Eisuke, your puppy has such a smart mouth. Are you sure you're training her properly?" A wicked gleam was in the artist's eyes as he stared at me, "If not, I could always train her for you."

"That would work if I was a dog, but guess what! I'm not, Mr. Kisaki. Please stop referring to me as one." I shot back at him. Are all artists this weird and demented? Or did they all just have unusual fetishes? "I'm not one to kink shame, Mr. Kisaki, but please leave your dog-fetish to consenting partners and not random women." I'm starting to almost be glad it was the King who got me, but then again there were three other men who are still probably better options.

"Ah, Kisaki is still a kid, he doesn't understand the world doesn't revolve around him quite yet," Dectective Kishi spoke up from his resting place on the couch. "Tch, do y'all have to talk so loud? Woke me up from a great dream."

"Well, at least I'm not old like all of you. Grandpa Mamoru needs to sleep for weeks just so he has enough energy for the auctions!" Ota snapped back to the lump on the couch. He was flustered from being called a kid, I guess, because he couldn't look in the direction of the man and was starting to pout.

"Kishi, shouldn't you be off playing pretend? Or has you imagination run dry?" I asked with a smirk on my face. The older man moved the messy black hair from his eyes as he lit up a fresh cigarette. "Or maybe he just didn't have any friends to come over for a playdate."

"Seems your play-thing still thinks the world revolves around her, Eisuke. You should probably change that." He retorted calmly, maintaining eye contact with me.

"I intend to," the King muttered meaningfully. What's he going to do? Ground me?

Baba decided it was his time to interject, even though I knew he would just try and make me into a damsel that needed to be saved, "Come now, women are the center of the universe. We men should feel lucky to be around such beautiful beings, having the chance to get to know them and love them." He said earnestly. Well, I thought he sounded earnest but then he threw a wink in my direction and I felt disgusted. The men started getting on Baba's case and how he was woman crazy, and I just made my way to the cabinet I found the wine in earlier.

"What do you think you're doing, woman?" I heard Soryu say over the bickering that was happening. I had already opened a bottle and poured myself a tall glass before any of them seemed to notice.

I took a small sip of the rich wine. It was a dark red color, and had a deliciously tart taste to it. Reading the bottle, I noticed it had been aging for forty years. Sadly, the alcohol content was surprisingly standard for wine. You could get stronger stuff from a local back alley bar. Not looking up from the bottle, I causally said, "I'm too sober to be dealing with any of you. But sadly, all you guys have in here is wine and champagne. While champagne is wonderful, it would not get me drunk nearly quick enough."

I ignored the blatant protests and coaxing from the men until the King, who was say something about how one glass alone was worth more than my entire being, earned a reply from me, "Oh, so this glass here costs more than twenty-million? That's kind of sad considering the fact a weak tequila is still double this alcohol content." I decided to take the bottle with me to my room, again ignoring all protests against my actions. I planned on drinking this entire bottle tonight and deal with the consequences some other time, as I do with all things in life.

Later the next day, three of us loaded into a limousine to go pick Carolina Bucci from the airport, and I nursed a fantastic hangover. You should not drink an entire bottle of wine in half an hour on an empty stomach. Soryu Oh and I were basically being dragged along for this chore, though at least I had a purpose for being there. The Hong Kong mobster glared daggers at the King as he asked for at least the third time why he had to come with us.

"I told you, Soryu, it would be a good idea for you to become acquainted with Bucci's daughter. It would give the Ice Dragons a tie in with Italy, making it easier for you to expand in Europe." Mr. Ichinomiya said in a bored tone of voice as we pulled up the entrance. "Also, I didn't want to be alone for the entire day with two idiotic women at my side."

Shooting him a disapproving look as I got out of the limousine, I growled back at him, "Are you sure you should be insulting the woman who can make or break this deal? I have yet to do anything unintelligent will in your 'care', if you could even it that."

"Oh, please, you hold yourself in too high regard. You're forgetting that you can barely feed yourself." He muttered so only I could hear. My blood froze at that the idea that he knew I went so long without food. Sighing, I just watched his back as we waited at the privet deck for the foreign woman. After a while the King grabbed my arm and linked it with his.

Following to where he was looking, what I saw scared the living daylights out of me. A large woman in a in at least five inch heals was sprinting towards us. Her blonde curls bouncing wildly as she shrieked for Mr. Ichinomiya. She threw her arms open, and immediately the King ducked to "check on my feet" as to avoid what certainly would have been death by overly-aggressive-fangirl.

"Eisuke! Oh I just love how cold-hearted you always are!" The girl squeaked in a high-pitched voice after peeling herself off of a column behind us.

Cue business mode for the King. His eyes were gentle and he had a warming smile on his face as he welcomed Carolina to Japan. He pretended not to know what she was talking about and just laughed as if she were telling the best joke he had ever heard. Soon after a small Chihuahua, that looked like it would shatter into pieces if you looked at it the wrong way, was introduced and brought up to Mr. Ichinomiya by a bodyguard. Fang, as it was ineptly or ironically named as it had maybe three teeth, immediately started growling and barking at the business man before it. Smirking ever so slightly, I muttered to Soryu, "Awh, even Fang hates his cocky attitude." This comment gained an approving grunt from the mobster.

"Fang, baby, you shouldn't bark at a handsome man like Eisuke! You should be barking at that dumb bitch instead!" Hearing my cue I stepped up beside my "darling" boyfriend and linked arms with him. This did manage to earn me a glare but Fang started licking my hand and begging for my attention.

"My pleasure, Miss Bucci. Eisuke has told me so much about you. Oh! And it would seem Fang has taken a liking to me, isn't that _wonderful_?" I said in a voice that was dangerously close to being classified as condescending. "Isn't it about time we head to the car, my love? We do still have to introduce her to Soryu and show her around Ginza." A smirk was beginning to form on my painted red lips.

After about five minutes of walking and having to listen to Carolina complain about me as we got to the car, I was already starting to plot the most efficient ways to piss this woman off even though I knew I should avoid that if possible. After we got in and instruct the driver to go back to the Tres Spades, Fang goes in between mine and Soryu's laps, not knowing which he liked more.

"Fang never warms up to anyone quickly, looks like he has great taste in men, just like me," Carolina's high voice squealed out as she winked at the mafia man. Poor Soryu looked as if he wanted to puke as she made one move after another on him.

"Aren't you lucky, Soryu," Mr. Ichinomiya said with mischief in his dark brown eyes. He definitely had something up his sleeve for this trip, that didn't involve just becoming business partners with this lump of a woman's father.

Soon the mass of blonde curls turned towards us as we're leaned against each other. "I can't believe you got a girlfriend when you had a chance with a woman like me!" Her shrill voice boomed in the ever shrinking seating area. In a bored tone of voice he uttered a "sorry" which surprised me, he had that word in his vocabulary but not please? "It's not your fault, handsome, I'm sure that stupid bitch tricked you somehow!"

My smile grew wide almost begging her to call me that again, "Actually, Miss Bucci, Eisuke approached me as I was working in the hotel one day," I began to launch into the pre-approved speech of how we supposedly met.

She immediately interrupted me, "He was just being polite and you got the wrong idea since you're such a simpleton." Her eyes were glued on me as her ice blue eyes glared into my face, but my smile never faltered for a second. Being glared at was becoming a constant in my life.

"It's hard to believe a man of his status would just be acting out of politeness, as he certainly would be used to overly annoying girls gluing themselves onto him. But he professed his love to me. Not many men I know of would ever do that strictly out of politeness. Though he is being quite polite right now," I said, hinting that he was being polite by not lashing out at her for speaking to me in such a manner. I continued in sicking-ly sweet manner, "But alas, he had asked me to give him a chance, saying it was love at first sight, and how could you turn a man like that down? So I decided to accept, and it blossomed into something wonderful."

This earned an eye-roll from Soryu, who was out of sight from Carolina's obsessive gaze. The King just nodded in agreement, mostly towards Soryu, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Carolina was fuming at the fact I would stand up for my relationship, "What's so great about this little brat, anyway?!"

"She's very serious about her job and she always gives everything her all, even forgetting to take care of herself for the sake of making sure others are happy," wow thanks for yet another dig at me for forgetting to eat. "It makes me want to protect her." Or use me for his own advantages. He links his fingers through mine and gazes at me tenderly, as if he really was in love with me. How did he become such a good actor?

"Hey, I can need protecting, too! You should protect me, Eisuke!" Will this girl ever give up? If I actually had any feelings toward the man who is my boyfriend at the current moment, I'd be going into a full on cat-fight. Mafia or not, she can't just do whatever she wants.

"Well, aren't you just so popular with the ladies, Eisuke?" Soryu said with a wicked smirk on his face. His voice was laced with sarcasm and he was incredibly amused by the events happening in front of him.

"Say, Soryu, you don't currently have a special someone, do you?" I asked, trying to sound innocent as I looked at him with doe-like eyes. Maybe after hearing the mobster is single, this overwhelming presence of a woman would focus her energy on him.

The stormy grey eyes landed on me in a hard gaze. Not quite glare level, but still not happy at my comment, "No." This answer made my smile grow wider, and the King just watched in enjoyment as the attention was moved onto the mobster.

"What? You're kidding. A reliable man like yourself? Shouldn't you be settling down soon with someone, for your mobs sake?" It was blatantly clear as to what I was hinting at, and he gave me a vague answer that he would need to be thinking about that soon. His stare never quite easing on me, even as we pulled up to the hotel. I was relieved as the warm air hit my face as the small space of the car had triggered parts of my anxiety to flare up considerably.

Carolina dropped of Fang and her luggage, only giving the three of us about ten minutes of freedom. It lasted not nearly enough before I had to plant that fake smile back on my face. We headed to Ginza and the Italian woman visited every high-end shop her eyes fell on. She tried on hundreds of dresses and every time she would ask Mr. Ichinomiya what looked better. This time it was between a red slip and a black lace dress.

His answer surprised me, as it clearly showed even his patience was running thin. "Black is more slimming, so isn't that the best one?" That was an indirect insult about her weight if I ever heard one, but she didn't seem to mind at all. She just giggled happily and mentioned something about how she loved how cold he was. Even a love-struck girl would be absolutely enraged if someone mentioned their weight. What was wrong with this chick?

Eventually the King tries to get me to try on a dress, claiming it would go with a pair of heels he bought me for the I.V.C, and Carolina throws a fit as usual. This man has done the same thing at every store, complimenting me and talking about things he had bought for me. But something is starting to change in him, as if he is getting intimidated by this strong-willed woman. I guess he just was never around people like her growing up, people that dontn't bend easily. Growing up in the environment I did, I know when to be hardheaded, especially when it meant making my parents upset, and when to be docile. I don't think either of these people got the same training as I did though.

I start feeling my expression soften ever so slightly as I think about the King as a young prince. I wonder if he was waited on hand and foot like he is now, or if he was an actual functioning human once upon a time. I catch myself smiling at the thought of the stoic man next to me as a child, running around in the mud and being scolded by a mother for coming home late for dinner. His unkempt hair falling over his eyes, full of wonder and warmth that children's eyes normally are. Just seeing him get nervous and irritated warms my heart toward him as it's showing a human side to Jack Frost, Master of the Cold, but I catch myself before I can start to wonder if maybe I was developing feelings for the man who bought me.

Mr. Ichinomiya brings my thoughts to an end quickly was he takes my hand in his own large one. I never did realize that his hands were warm and soft, "This platinum ring will look good on you." I kept quiet and look at him suspiciously as Carolina was nowhere to be seen and it was just the three of us. "Your hands are very neat, probably because you clean for a living. So a simple design without any jewels looks good on you." A plain band was slipped onto my right hand ring finger and he examined it carefully.

Smiling at his unexpected and unusual compliment, I felt butterflies rise in my stomach. This was a differnet feeling then when I was with Takahiro, as sweet as the concierge is, it was as if I felt recognized by a teacher that didn't pay attention to any of their students. No, I could not let myself catch feelings for this horrible cold man.

"I already own you twenty-million, I don't want to add to that cost," I said trying to shut out any emotion from my voice. I moved my eyes away from his sculpted face, even though I was preoccupied as to why I never noticed his defined jawline before, down to the floor. I did not want this man searching my face and guess what was going on in my head.

"I'll take this one," the King said towards the cashier. "Think of it as a gift. It would look strange if you were my girlfriend and you never wore anything I gave you." Soryu was smirking as he watched us, but neither of us paid any mind to him. "I like it. Keep it on."

Before I could thank him, as this was the most thoughtful gift I had gotten since my twelfth birthday, the large Italian woman came rushing out of the dressing rooms twirling with excitement. "What do you think of my sexy black lace, Eisuke?!" She bent down so her hands rested on her knees, trying to reproduce a pose from a pin-up but failing considerably. Soryu winced at the sight, but the King didn't take his eyes off of my hand which he was still holding. Mumbling that it was okay, he eyed the ring with a slight smile on his face. "Pick another dress out for me! Please, you always know what will look good on me!" Sighing, he tore his eyes off the ring and reluctantly walked with her to the dress rack.

"I guess even the King has trouble sometimes," I muttered to myself, glad to not only be away from him so my stomach can get rid of the flying creatures inside of it but also to see the annoyed expression on his face. It was almost cute.

"This isn't trouble at all for him. To him Carolina's just another card to play in this business deal," the mobster spoke in monotone, eyeing the other man with arms crossed on his chest.

"I guess we all are just cards to him, it just depends how high in the order we fall. Does the business deal with Mr. Bucci have to do with the hotel?" I asked following his stormy gaze. He shrugged off the question, telling me that he couldn't tell any specifics just that the King always has multiple goals in everything he does. Nodding, I knew if I wanted any information about the business man I would have to ask him myself. I find myself staring at his back as he stood next to the fawning foreigner, thinking quite jealously that those two didn't look good together.

We head back to the hotel after shopping and have tea together at the Italian's request. As we sit listening to Carolina boast about how much she bought today, the King just says he is glad she had fun and nothing else. Soon, an obnoxious pop tune plays, and Mr. Bucci seems to be calling his beloved daughter. Leaving the table to take the call, the mass of curls blows a kiss to the men.

"Here's your coffee, sir," A waiter stopped to place Mr. Ichinomiya's coffee down. I moved to push the milk and sugar towards him, which got me an endearing surprised expression.

"What are you doing, woman?" He mutter towards me. Even his voice showed hints of his surprise which made the smirk on my lips grow. His eyes narrowed at me as if I had done something unforgivable.

"While searching for food in your barren kitchen, which I might say there is none and that you should fix that as to prevent starvation, I noticed that you always kept a large pitcher of milk and a bowl of sugar cubes on your coffee cart. If you don't want them, I'll just move them back to this end of the table," I motioned to take the items back before he grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"You can't even feed yourself, but you can observe my coffee habits? You are a strange woman," he said as he continued to eye me. Again with the whole eating thing, when is he going give up on that, geez. He didn't let go of my wrist and we had a staring contest until soft chuckling was heard from the other side of the table.

Soryu spoke up as the wicked smirk appeared on his lips again, "Eisuke takes three sugar cubes, or two sugar packs in every cup of coffee." I started to giggle at the fact the mobster knew his friends habits even better than the woman living with him.

"Nobody asked you," the business man growled, which made me laugh even more. But he did let go of my wrist finally, leaving his warmth to slowly dissipate from where he touched me.

"You two must be extremely close if that's the level your friendship is on. Maybe you should have just gotten Soryu to play the role of your girlfriend? That would have stopped Carolina in her tracks for sure," I mused at the shocked expressions of both men. Soryu opened his mouth once and then closed it right away and the King just gave me a hard stare that bore into my soul. But before I could get yelled at for my suggestion, the bouncing ball of love came back from her call.

"Daddy complimented you when I told him about everything we did today and how much fun I was having here in Japan! I asked him to let you handle the matter you two have been discussing and he agreed!" She laughed out in an excited manner. That's good news all around.

"I appreciate it, Carolina. I knew you were special, and that no normal woman could compare," the King said, business smile returning to his face. Damn, it was scary at how fast he could change from being genuine to fake.

"Oh, I already know that! I can do everything better that whore you have and more!" She giggled.

My smile turned into what some would call a "shit-eating-grin" as I eyed the woman across from me. My tone was bubbly with a definite undertone of warning as I said and I said something that I really should not have.

"Yet, I still managed to be Eisuke's girlfriend, something you could never do in your _wildest_ dreams."


	5. Chapter 5

I finally get to return to my room in the employee dormitory for the first time in the last four days for more than a stressful ten minutes! I was hyped to be able to sleep in my own bed. Carolina was in a good mood, even after my rude and hateful comments, and the King decided I deserved a reward. And if being mean to important clients gave me special rights, then I might enjoy being his girlfriend more than I thought I would.

"You can go back to the dorm tonight. Contingent upon your success, of course. Be back to work at the normal time tomorrow." His cool, calming voice played over again in my head. When did I stop feeling so threatened by this voice? I'm not really sure, but I for sure want to stop this train in its tracks. I will not start forming a crush on such a horrendous human being.

"It seems so fitting for him to say something like that, not just congratulating me on the fact I got her off his back." I muttered to myself as I practically skipped to the entrance of the dorms. "But either way, I'm just happy to be back in a normal atmosphere."

I was so wrapped up in my own world that I didn't even notice the rustling sound as two men in black suits appeared in front of the door way. "Don't move!" One yelled in a gruff voice, but that was after my legs were in motion. I was sprinting back towards the hotel in full speed as soon as I registered that they were mafia.

I guess Mr. Ichinomiya's dumb five-minute rule trained me well.

I was almost in view of the front doors of the Tres Spades when I fell hard on the ground. Well, more like I was forcibly tackled to the ground by one of the suited men. I started kicking, but I couldn't get my body to yell for someone. My voice felt like it was getting stuck half way in my throat, my windpipes closing in on me. A gag found its way into my mouth and my arms and legs were tied by a rope far too tight.

Throwing me over their shoulder, the man started walk back towards the dormitory. I wiggled as best I could to get out of his grasp, my breathing becoming ragged. Tears started running down my face as I could not complete either of my fight or flight response. We finally reached a van, and I was roughly thrown into the back, hitting my temple hard enough on the ground to open a gash. As blood dripped its way down my face, a blindfold was tied against my eyes.

The car roared to life soon after and I was thrown into the back doors of the van and we sped away from the hotel. Moaning in pain, I tried to right myself, which proved itself hard when it felt like you were trapped inside of a shrinking box. Well, I kind of was.

After what seemed like an hour, maybe two, of harsh turns that forced me to slam into the walls of the van we stopped. Someone took my hair in their fist and dragged me out of the car, not minding my muffled screams of pain. Shortly after my body met the concrete surface that I've come to know as the ground once more.

"Take off her blindfold," a voice shrieks at the men. You have got to be kidding me. As my vision was resorted and cleared from the blood and tears that had made their way into them, my suspicions were right. Carolina Bucci stood in front of me looking as though she just won an Olympic gold medal, she had the largest grin on her face. "Welcome to my show! I needed to talk to you alone, so I figured bring you to this lovely abandoned warehouse, right next to Tokyo Bay. Well, enough chit-chat, I'm going to say this once. Break up with Eisuke."

Her glare penetrated my very soul. Her large frame stood imposingly in front of me, and I was painfully aware of the fact she was a mob bosses' daughter. But even then that wasn't enough to keep me down, I dealt with psychopaths on a daily basis now. At first it started as giggling, then an eruption of laughter that made my sides hurt even more. " _That's_ why you brought me here? Because you want my boyfriend?"

She looked astonished. Then absolutely livid. "You don't deserve him, so I want you out of his life. I'm giving you a choice here."

That just made me laugh harder, if that was even possible. "You aren't exactly some perfect princess, either. I might be some average girl, a dime a dozen, but at least I have some redeeming qualities. You apparently need to murder someone just to get the attention of a man! You're the one who really doesn't deserve him."

"What did you say?!" Her voice rose to an unbelievably high pitch, to the point I thought I heard a window start to crack from the sound of it. Oh, maybe I shouldn't have pressed those buttons. "Are you trying to say I don't deserve him because of my weight?"

"Okay, no. I'm saying you don't deserve him because you lack a nice personality." I said rolling my eyes at her oblivious mind set. "In short I'm calling you a dumb bitch."

Salt wafted into my nose as I was reminded of Soryu's threat the first day I met the men. I guess it may come true if I keep this up, I doubt she would have any qualms about killing me here and now. I'm not entirely sure as to why I decided to stick my neck out for the King again, possibly because I was just so good at bringing out the worst in people, and it was so much fun to do.

Forcing my eyes to meet Carolina's gaze, my heart feels as though it could stop at any moment. Her mouth twists into a look of disgust as she looks at my bloodied face. Mr. Ichinomiya was not going to be happy about my new gash. "Boys! Teach this girl a lesson she'll never have the chance to forget!"

My body freezes as I see one of the men put a hand into his jacket. A clicking sound is heard, and I could easily identify that as the hammer of a gun being cocked. I can't seem to force my eyes away from the Italian's as a low hiss comes out of my mouth, as I say my final words, "He could never love you."

Maybe it was out of jealousy, or maybe I just now realized I missed my calling as an actor. I'm not really sure why I said it, but soon after the back of my head had a hand on it, forcing me to look up towards the sky. "When you're ready, Miss Bucci." Did I have any regrets? I took a deep breath as I prepared myself for the sound of a gunshot in my ear.

But instead all I heard was the moaning of two grown men as they were kicked in the back of the head. My head fell forward roughly, and the only sound that pierced the cold air was Carolina's voice, "Eisuke! Soryu!" Wait, why are they hear? I never thought I would be so happy to feel the King's arms encircle my shivering body.

"Your joke's gone too far, Carolina." His voice was much lower than usual, even when he address me. He sounded as if he was going to tear this girl in front of us a part. His eyes shone bright in the dark warehouse as he eyed the girl.

"I had to do it! I was doing it all for you, Eisuke! For us! I couldn't stand watching this filthy girl dirty you!" I was gently lifted off the ground by someone. My vision was getting hazy and I could finally feel the damage that had been done to my body. My legs had deep cuts in them from being tackled and my arms and ribs felt broken. My head was still bleed profusely, and I could feel that I was losing a lot of blood.

Soryu started mumbling to himself in the cold silence. "I'm glad I'm not the one crazy here fell for." Sighing, he surprisingly stated lecturing her about love as the King looked down at me. Shifting me so that he could shield me in case anything else happened he started walking back to the car.

I felt heavy. My body wouldn't move, and I muttered half-heartedly, "You'll get blood on your suit, your highness. That's not fit for a king." Giggling at my own joke, I felt his arms tighten on me. My head was nestled on his chest as he carried me, and I quickly started to fade in and out of consciousness. "Thank you, sir."

We made it to the car and he laid me down on the back seat, my head in his lap as he tended to my wound. I struggled to get my eyes open, but couldn't no matter how hard I tried. "It's also not fit for a king to let his beloved queen die," his soft voice cut through the silence of the car. It was after that all my consciousness left me.

The next morning I woke up in the penthouse suit. My head was throbbing and my legs felt as though they were burning off, so getting up right away was a no. Sitting up, which I soon realized was something I now had to do slowly, my head spun as I tried to figure out why my room now looked different. Rubbing my eyes as I tried to get up, I jumped when I saw a body laying the bed next to mine. Since when did my room have two beds?

The King was propped up on the head board typing away on his laptop, not seeming to notice the fact I was in the bed next to his. I sat there, staring at the man, until he spoke up. "Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to say something?"

Jumping slightly, I shook my head, which just made the headache worse. Moaning in pain I gripped the sides of my head, it felt like a jackhammer found its way inside my brain. I then noticed the gauze that had found its way wrapped around the top of my head. Soon enough, the businessman was making his way to my side as I slumped down. He gently guided me back into the covers and then went to shut the curtains so the rising sun couldn't blind my eyes. "Mr. Ichinomiya, it's okay, I'm fine. I need to go to work," I said pushing myself up on weak arms. I then noticed how scratched they were, it looked like I got into a fight with a pack of stay cats.

But that effort failed, too, as he placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on the back of my head and pushed me back down. "Luke said you need to stay in bed for at least a day. So stay down." He said looking at me slightly worried: that was a new expression. I think I'm just imagining it though, after all, I'm easily replaceable. But I don't remember ever meeting a man named Luke. My face twisted into a grimace as I tried to remember the past twelve hours. Taking this as an opportunity, the King started to explain, "Luke Foster is a doctor I went to school with. I called to get his medical opinion, and he said for you to rest and take painkillers until he can be here to look at you in person. He'll be here soon from London."

Oh, good, so hadn't met this person yet. Relieved I gave a tiny nod. "But, Mr. Ichinomiya, how did I get here? I don't remember coming to the penthouse," I sounded like a child, too afraid to ask their mother's permission for a toy. My whole body hurt, so I doubted briefly I came here on my own.

"I'm going to get your medicine from Kenzaki. Stay here and wait for someone to return so they can help you get up and move around," he said looking away from me. He had an exasperated expression on his face as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. I suppose he just thought my question was idiotic. Of course I came up here on my own, how else would I have made it up all those steps? Maybe Baba carried me, because the King certainly wouldn't do that.

Not long after, Ota and Baba came into my room, smiles quickly disappearing when they saw my condition. I didn't really think it was all that bad, though. Just some cuts and bruises; stuff you would get after a day of playing on the playground as a kid. Taking up either side of my bed they asked how I was feeling.

"Achy. Not too bad though, I really should be at work," I said staring at the ceiling trying to hide the fact I was in excruciating pain. I hated being on bed rest. The best cure for anything was to work. The two friends looked at each other with knowing eyes. "Besides, I made it up here to the penthouse last night, so I must be fine to walk."

Ota looked at me nervously and urged Baba to talk. Nodding solemnly, he started, "Kai, precious, how much do you remember from last night?" I told him up until the King helped me off the concrete. "I see. Darling, have you left bed yet today?" I told him I just woke up about ten minutes ago and he suggested we take a trip into the bathroom to change my head dressings.

The two men laced arms with me and pulled back the covers. I gasped at the sight of my legs. There were imprints of gravel that had embedded itself into them, my shins had dozens of deep gashes from being dragged and shoved to the ground. The skin was purple and blue from bruises in multiple places, and as I put weight on them I yelped in pain.

"Boss carried you up here after he found you at the warehouse. You were passed out so he brought you up here to his room so he could call Luke and look after you," Baba explained sadly as he looked at my astonished face. Looking to the other man, they picked me up and carried me into the bathroom. Baba got the supplies ready as Ota took his time running a warm cloth over my arms and face.

Whining as cream was applied to my temple, tears threatened to leave my eyes at the idea I had been beaten so badly. Carolina really was angry. The two men chatted while trying to distract me from the situation. But my mind was just in one place, and I had a feeling it was going to be returning to these thoughts again and again.

Eisuke Ichinomiya.

I had so many questions, but I knew that I wasn't going to get any answers by asking. Some questions are better left to oneself. That man was so strange, cold one minute then rushing to my rescue the next. It made my heart flutter and stomach knot itself as I thought of the King carrying me up to that room, calling a doctor to come and see me so quickly. My train of thought continued down this dangerous path, one I knew would lead me to have feelings for him, but I couldn't stop it.

Ota stopped my thoughts abruptly, though, when he turned his attention back to my face. "Looks like the puppy is thinking about her master," A teasing smirk played on his lips as his amber eyes flashed up to meet mine.

"Mhm, yeah, I guess," I muttered as I was transfixed in his gaze. His eyes are so pretty, a deep yellow color with flecks of orange. He really does look like a fallen angel. "Mostly about the room I've been in. I've never seen it before so I'm not sure whose room it is."

"Well, if you're exploring bedrooms you've never been in before, you can always come to mine," Baba cut in, drawing my eyes away from Ota's gaze. He gave me a wink and I started blushing without thinking about it. I don't think I could ever going into any of these men's bedrooms. Well except maybe…

"Awh, look, Koro's blushing! She's so cute!" The angelic artist exclaimed happily. He turned to the older man as he asked, "Do you think Eisuke would let me take her to my room now that she's seen his? I'd love to be her owner."

My mind went blank at that. I had spent the night in Mr. Ichinomiya's room. He had taken me into his own personal space. I started to stutter as my face grew hotter, "I, uh, I spent the night in _his_ room? Why couldn't I just be put in my room?" I couldn't fathom the thought process that went into putting me there to sleep.

Laughter filled the room as I asked the question. "Of course he took you in there, your room doesn't have two beds," Ota started with a wide grin on his face.

"And Boss' room does so that was the only choice."

"I'm more interested in the fact she called it 'her room'. Has the puppy finally accepted her new home?"

"Maybe she's made herself more comfortable then we think," Baba finished as he gave a sultry smile.

Oh no, they were not going to suggest that Mr. Ichinomiya and I were _actually_ a thing. There was no way. They were in the room when he made the announcement. So they knew it was all an act. "I, uh, I really don't know what you mean, I just accepted reality is all. Besides, um," I said shakily getting on my feet. It hurt like hell, but there was no way I was staying here and facing any feelings. "I think I'm fine to move on my own. So I'll just go back to my, ah, the room that was given to me."

I didn't make it far before my legs gave out under me and I found myself falling forward. I feel straight into something solid, but it wasn't the floor. After fixing my legs back under myself, I pushed myself back up gently, only to be quickly held against, what I now knew as a chest, by a pair of strong arms. Looking up I was yet again being held by the man I wanted to both see the most and the least.

"I thought I told you two not to let her walk on her own," the King growled in a rough voice. He sounded incredibly irritated by the fact I was up on my own two feet. I froze in place as he scolded the two men, almost willing it that he forgets I was there. But to avail, because shortly after he turned his attention to me, "And I thought I told you to wait for someone to help you move around. I don't remember giving you permission to walk on your own."

I pulled away from his chest as much as I could, and started to mumble something about how I need permission to breathe nowadays. The next thing I know, I was up in the air bridal style as I was toted back to the bed. "You two can leave now," the King ordered, and like that his men disappeared through the door wearing knowing smirks. As I was being forced back under the covers I did my best to look away from his face.

"You don't have to do this for me, Mr. Ichinomiya. I'm fine, really," I started out. My voice sounded strangely sad, almost pleading as I continued trying to convince the handsome businessman, "I'll rest today and then be back to cleaning rooms tomorrow, there really is no reason to make such a fuss over me."

All I received was a grunt as he made his way back to the other room. I heard muffled voices but not much else. Soon after, the King walked back in with another tall man following behind him. His hair was a sandy blonde color and had the most piercing blue eyes. He was carrying a bag with him, one that looked too heavy for the lean man to be handling. "Hello, I am Dr. Luke Foster." British, nice.

"Luke will be taking a look at you to make sure nothing major happened," the King said, looking wearily at the other man as he put gloves on. I just nodded in response and threw the covers off of me.

Luke's hands were cold, almost as if he was death personified. They worked down my legs first, checking to see if any bones had been broken or severely damaged. Making a small satisfied sound he then moved to my arms doing the same. I grew used to the freezing sensation as he checked my ribs for any breaks, until his concentration broke abruptly. "Your collarbones are absolutely exquisite. May I please examine them?"

Giving him a blank stare, I nodded absent mindedly. I mean, he was making sure I was okay, so I guess I could "indulge" him for a few minutes. He ran his fingers against the bones by my neck briefly, before Mr. Ichinomiya spoke up, "Luke, her head injury still needs to be examined." I stole a quick glance in his direction, and he was giving a hard look to the area Luke had been touching.

Sighing, the doctor removed his hand from my neck and instead made himself busy removing the gauze. Grabbing a light from the bag he studied the deep gash. Another sigh left his lips as he turned towards the King, "She might experience some short term memory lost from that night, but nothing major. Her walking may be impaired for today, just from the shock, her body is shutting down certain functions to compensate the amount of blood loss. All her bones are intact, just bruised. Her cuts should be healed in a week, leaving nothing but a scar or two."

"So does that mean I can go back to work?!" I asked excitedly. Even spending this last two or three hours in bed was enough for me. I wanted to get back to doing what I loved.

Chuckling slightly, the ghostly doctor said I could if my legs stayed under me. That had been the best news I had heard all week. A grin spread across my face as I promised the man that they would. The King just sighed.

Sleeping came easy, and I was only woken up twice to eat. The King had ordered easy foods that would be easy for my stomach, and after I was full I would fall right back to sleep.

Waking up the next day was rough, though. I was groggy and in a lot of pain, but I managed to walk myself to the bathroom and back without issue. I took this as an okay for me to go to work, so I hurriedly put my uniform on and did my hair so the cut on my forehead was mostly hidden. Foundation is my savior. It covered my face and arms with the stuff, and put on a thick pair of stocking for my legs.

Walking slowly out of the room, I gave Mr. Ichinomiya the largest grin I could manage as I walked triumphantly out the door. He told me that I could work a half day if needed yet he never looked up from his laptop. I guess thinking he cared about me was a mistake on my end because I could feel my heart squeeze painfully.

After the morning meeting, I quickly disappeared up to my floor so that Chisato and Sakiko couldn't pepper me with questions about where I've been. I felt bad since I was avoiding them, but it was easier then lying. Shaking my head, which just made the pain return, I groaned and got to work. This was my safe place after all so I had to make the best of the time I had.

Takahiro soon came up while he was on his daily inspections, "Kai, how are you today? Did you take care of whatever you had to take care of the other day?"

I gave him a small smile and nodded my head slightly, "Yes, thank you sir. I'm so sorry I had to leave so suddenly. And if you give me a minute I can give you the money for my part of the bill." I fished in my pocket before finding my wallet. A large hand gently landed on top of it, and I looked up in confusion.

His smile had faded and he was looking at the right side of my head. Self-conscious I lifted my other hand to touch where he was looking, and felt a hard scab. Oh, he was just surprised to see the cut is all, and since I made sure not to put make up over that one, infections were not fun, my hair was the only thing covering it. "Kai, is everything okay?" His voice was deeply serious as his eyes found their way to mine.

"Oh," I mumbled, not able to look away, "I've just had a crazy couple of days is all. It's nothing to worry about, sir!" My face grew hot as my heart leapt into my throat.

"Mr. Ichinomiya should make sure you stay out of trouble. I hate seeing you hurt," He said, mostly to himself, as he withdrew checking his pockets for something. He pulled out a clear candy and placed it into my unoccupied hand. "Something sweet to cheer you up, I'm sure things will calm down soon."

"Oh, it's one of the candies you give the guests' children. Thank you!" I gave him my best smile, and tucked it away in my pocket for later. "Good luck with work today!" He called to me, waving goodbye. I gave him a wave myself then entered the next room, thankful he didn't ask many questions.

Later that night, Mr. Bucci wanted to meet the King and I for dinner, which I was not looking forward to in the least. Sitting in a gourmet restaurant seems almost foreign to me, even though I grew up doing this. "It seems my daughter's been giving you trouble, eh?" The elder man says as he contemplates the taste of his sake. I look away from the two, hoping Mr. Ichinomiya will take care of this.

"Oh, Daddy! That's all in the past now! Live and let live! Carpe Diem!" Carolina giggled as her large hands found their way to her cheeks. Live and let live? She tried to shoot me!

"She was probably just having too much fun in Japan and got a little carried away," Mr. Ichinomiya said with his magical business smile appearing. "Kai and I don't mind humoring her at all. Right, Kai?"

"Of course," I said still looking down towards my cupped hands. I needed to pretend nothing happened, so I looked up into Mr. Bucci's eyes, "It's my pleasure, I enjoyed showing your daughter the ropes of Tokyo."

Giving a grunt of approval, he turned towards the King, "Kai doesn't look it, but she's a very strong woman, isn't she, Eisuke?" The King just agreed saying that he wouldn't have chosen me if I wasn't strong. Deep down, I doubted that was true, he just happened to buy me at an auction after all. There was nothing more to our relationship.

The business deal went off without a hitch, soon Carolina was gushing over Soryu, and I couldn't help but smirk when she asked me if they would look good together. "I think you two would just complete each other, Carolina. Opposites attract after all."

"I knew we were soulmates! At first, I thought you were totally impossible to deal with, but I guess you're okay. I know we'll get along fine, now." Does she ever stop shrieking?

"Thank you," I lifted up my glass, "To a long and prosperous friendship." We toasted our sake drinks and laughed away. I would never forgive her of course, but I knew we might never see each other again.

As we left the restaurant, my legs start to hurt from sitting on them for so long. I begin staggering, and the King has to pause slightly for me to catch up to him. "Something the matter?" He asked low enough for only me to hear it.

"No, I'll be fine once we get outside, I'm sure," I trailed off. Sighing, he wrapped his arm around my waist and helped me get to the car without falling. Once we got in he glared at me as I rubbed some of the cuts that had started flaring up again. "I'm sorry if I made a fool out of you tonight." But he didn't respond, instead he just tuned his gaze out the window, lost in thought.

Days roll by with nothing changing but my health. I've gotten better and can walk without swaying, so naturally I push my limits by throwing myself into work. I came up to the lounge one day after being summoned only to find all the men gathered together. Hope blossomed as I remembered the last time he did this was to announce that I was his girlfriend, so naturally this is to tell them that I'm free, right?

Noting that I had finally arrived, though ten minutes late, the King cleared his throat and made his announcement. "We'll be having an auction in three days."

I froze on the spot. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as the other men bickered about how it was too sudden. The deal was going well so he didn't need me anymore, right? He wasn't going to anymore parties, and the Buccis weren't to have any contact with me. But now I got to spend more time with him so I was kind of happy about that. My feelings were fighting as I asked too many questions to myself. One resounded louder than the others, and applied to many aspects of my life.

 _Why am I still here?_


	6. Chapter 6

**_I am so sorry I haven't updated this week, I've recently moved and have just now gotten time to write so it's a little (a lot) shorter. Again, I am SO sorry, I feel so terrible about it but I wanted to give you guys something. Thank you for your patience._**

They were talking about how they were selling another woman at this auction. I didn't agree, of course, knowing that being up on that stage was terrifying but I couldn't do anything. They don't even listen to me when it comes to my wellbeing.

Baba was complaining about the fact that the day was unlucky, Ota was scrambling to find items he had to sell. Soryu was busy making calls for his men to be ready in three days. The King, however was in an intent conversation with Mamoru Kishi about the auction itself. I was still in shock that I hadn't been let free yet. What more could he get out of me? Maybe he was developing feelings for me?

"It's against the auction rules to put her up for sale without her consent," grumbled the detective, greying hair falling into his eyes. I wasn't paying attention to the conversation until I heard those words, which easily snapped me back into reality. I locked eyes with the shaggy hair man and unconsciously gave him a hard stare, my brown eyes narrowing. "Ya got somethin' to say, kid?"

My lips tightened into a thin line as I continued to process the statement, "So, the rules state that you can't sell anyone without consent?" I earned a half-hearted nod before I continued. "And if I'm correct a consent must be a firm verbal or contractual agreement before another party can continue a path of action that will strongly affect the victim or partner." I slowly clenched my fists together as I started placing the pieces together.

"I should not have been allowed to have been sold."

The room was deafly quiet as I spoke. I started shaking as I looked between the five men as their faces went blank. My eyes locked with Mr. Ichinomiya's and stayed there for what seemed like an eternity. "It's invalid. If I'm correct in this, being hit over the head until passed out is not consent. I should not have been allowed on that stage. Soryu's men overlook the auctions from the floor, I know that much, so they should have stopped it or told him that I was not the intended item." It was as though venom laced my words as I stepped forward towards the men. "This woman gave her consent but I did not."

Biting my lips I looked towards the ceiling to gather the courage I needed to face the truth. I forced my face into a blank expression as I turned back towards my captors.

" _You broke your own rules to buy me, my purchase was invalid and yet for some reason I am still here."_

I received silence in response. I was in total shock, my life has been put in danger because of these men, these men who claimed they own me: but don't. The only thing the King can do to me is fire me from my job, that's all the harm he could do. My brown eyes bore into his as I made my case. After a while, I knew I wasn't going to get a satisfactory answer, so I turned on my heel and left the lounge, left to go back to the dorms.

"You will continue to stay in your assigned room until further notice," an icy voice rang out, and it was easily identifiable. I paused for a moment, almost turning around to obey the order from the man I had begun to admire ever so slightly.

Instead I stayed facing the door, not looking at them and shook my head. "You're not my owner, I am. And I don't take orders from anyone." And with that, I went back home.

I got no sleep that night, running the situation over in my head. I was definitely going to lose my job, which meant I was going to have to find a home until I found another. My life was in danger for no reasons except that man's selfish plans to further his own enterprise.

But how was I going to feel tomorrow when I knew I wouldn't see his face again? My heart sank into my stomach, and I felt sick at the thought. I shook the thought out of my head cursing how pretty he was and Stockholm syndrome. The night slipped by as I stared absently at the ceiling while tears rolled down my face.

The next morning I was startled out of a crying-induced sleep by a loud pounding on the door. Looking at the clock I noted that it was only six in the morning, so I wasn't late for work or anything. Before I knew it, the door was unlocking and a tall man in a suit was walking towards my bed. My mind jolted awake as I registered who was now next to my bed glaring down at me.

"You cannot barge into my room like that!" I screamed at the man as I grabbed fistfuls of blankets to cover myself. Panic mode set in quickly as I began breathing quickly and started planning an escape route.

Either he didn't notice my reaction or didn't care, "I told you to go back to the room you were assigned. You are to follow my orders no matter what." He spat at me.

Bewildered, I rubbed my tear-stained face before finding the words to say, "The purchase was invalid. I don't own you anything." I forcefully said. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with this and I was seconds away from bolting from my own room. "I already almost died for you, isn't that enough?"

"You would not have died, because I still have a use for you," the King said as he examined my face. Would he see I spent the night crying? Or is he just trying to find a break in my already crumbling composer. "You are going the I.V.C in two days as my date, understood? Then we will speak the terms of your release. So unless you would like to live on the streets, unable to get another job in Tokyo, I suggest you return to the penthouse after your shift." And with that he left.

One more ritzy party? Then I can go back to my normal life? I could do that. I made a pact with myself that I would go through these next couple of days with a new resolve. I would make myself steel and not let anything get to me. And no matter what happens, I will not fall for Eisuke Ichinomiya, no matter how charming he becomes I knew the real vile man that is was.

Sighing, I got up and changed into uniform to start the day.


	7. Chapter 7

I was numb. Moving through the motions of picking up after guests was one thing I really understood completely. The only thing that I could truly feel were the silk sheets as my hands caressed them into place. Why am I doing this? To keep my job? Am I just blindly accepting this man's promise even after he has lied to me several times? I racked my bran for answers to the questionable actions of myself. How could I even guarantee that I'll be set free after the I.V.C?

A contract.

I'll write up a contract for him to sign. I'll take pictures of the auction hall and hold them over his head. It will be risky, especially with making a legal agreement with Eisuke Ichinomiya, the world famous business man. He'll know his way around the laws like the back of his hand.

On break I made my way down to the auction hall, as I've now been trained to do. Taking out my camera, I snapped dozens of pictures of the way down, the stage, even the penthouse box. The next stage would be trickier, as I planned to do something stupidly dangerous. Returning to my work, I started to plan out the contract the King would have no choice but to sign.

That night, I locked myself into my "designated room" giving the impression that I was resigned to my fate as the King's slave. I sat at the desk and wrote out in my neatest handwriting the terms and conditions of the agreement, carefully exploring any holes that I could use to my advantage.

There will be no touching unless deemed socially necessary or invoked by the female partner in the relationship between Eisuke Ichinomiya and that whom has been purchased.

Any deals that require those whom have been purchased to participate will be discussed in depth before the paring arrives at the party. Any and all questions regarding these matters will be answered by Eisuke Ichinomiya.

At the end of the three days the International VIP Convention takes place, the party that has been illegally sold will be released with no debt, obligations, or ties with the five parties involved. She will remain at her current position within her work, and not be asked to participate with any other dealings that happen between the other five parties unless a firm, sober, verbal and written consent is given.

These were my three favorite parts of the contract. My rules were not going to be broken again. Looking at the clock I noticed it was three in the morning. Noting that, I quietly got up, slipped out my door and listened for any noise coming from the penthouse rooms.

Silence.

Now was the time for me to make my move. Slinking through the living room I took my time reading over any documents left on the tables. I took pictures of anything I thought of as important, then moved into the office space. I searched through every last drawer of his desk and did the same with these documents. His computer was locked, so I couldn't go through digital files, which was disappointing seeing as those were probably the most incriminating.

I made my way quickly back into my room, locked the door and reviewed my spoils from the nights operation. I was just hoping that it would turn out okay for me in the end.

That morning I was up early enough to make two cups of coffee before heading down to the locker rooms. I was thinking over my plans for the rest of the morning shift. How was I even going to bring this up with the King? "Hey, I know you're a dirty liar so I made this to try and save myself"? I don't think that would go over in my favor at all.

At lunch I was deep in thought as Sakiko and Chisato were busy chatting away about locate news and how excited they were about the I.V.C starting tomorrow. I swear these girls never change. After the evening shift was finished I made my way up to the penthouse, making sure to keep my head up high. None of the men had even thought to try and speak to me, as it was obvious I did not want to speak to them.

Around dinner time, the King made his appearance up to the living room of the suite, looking irritated as we made eye contact. I had been sitting upright on the coach, with the papers of the contract pilled neatly on the table, and two warm cups of coffee waiting. I motioned for him to sit on the other side of me, granting me a dissatisfied sound.

"What do you want, woman?" He growled at me as he took his seat.

"An insurance that after these next three days of torture I will be set free, no strings attached. I have prepared a contract," his eyes shifted from the pile of paper up to meet mine again, "that I felt would be an intelligent agreement between two unsatisfied parties."

His face twisted as his mouth curved into a smirk, "You want me to believe an idiot like you is trying to make a legal agreement about her insurance? No thank you, you'll just have to take my word." He said sharply as he stood up from the coach.

I laughed quietly, "See, I thought you would have said that, so I strongly urge you to at least read the files before refusing. There might be something you want, or more specifically, don't want."

His face looked back at my innocence one. I held his gaze as he again sat down and picked the papers up and read them line by line. I got to watch in enjoyment as his left eye slightly twitched as he got to the end of the contract, the part in which I laid out the risk of leaked information about the auctions.

"You would be killed as soon as you let those pictures leak. Do you really want to play chicken with the mob?" His voice was hard. His dark brown eyes met mine in a challenging gaze, I could tell I hit a nerve, even if it was just a slight tap.

"Yes," I started as a grin grew onto my face. "And are you aware of how closely you would be watched if these do get out? How fast the hotel would be searched? I know which precinct Mamoru works in, so I know which to avoid going to all together. Also, how strange would it be if the woman who gave this hard evidence out to the public suddenly disappeared? Then you'd have even more heat on you." I laughed again as his eyes narrowed. "Besides, I have nothing to lose to you."

He look at me for what seemed like an eternity, searching my face for the weakness, the lie, in my last statement. But there was none. I had nothing, so I couldn't really lose anything. Grunting, he reread the agreements, then took a pen out of his pockets and signed the most elegant signature I had ever seen. I took the papers, clung them to my chest and walked out of the room back into my own.

I then started hyperventilating. Did I really just out smart Eisuke Ichinomiya? No, he must have something over me, or will in about thirty seconds. There is no way I'm going to get away with this, not in the slightest. After sitting on the floor of the shower reviewing every choice I've ever made in my life, and gaining control over my breathing, I climbed into my bed.

This was going to be a long three days.

I made my way out of the warm covers of the overly stuffed bed, and shuffled into the bathroom. As I washed my face I looked into the mirror and looked at my face and the water dripped off my chin. My eyes had bags under them, a lovely purplish grey, and my lips were chapped almost to cracking. My hair was crimped in some places from sleeping with it wet while other areas were so knotted all the conditioner in the world wouldn't make it any less painful to brush out. The stress of the last few days really gave me a beating. I wondered just how rigorous the "beautifying" process would be tonight to cover this all up.

Straightening my back, and my hair after a few rigorous brushes, I walked out of my room into the lounge. I found no one waiting for me, thankfully, just a note sitting on the table.

" _I expect you to be in the penthouse at the time of your lunch break._

 _-E. Ichinomiya"_

So sweet of him to let me know. And done it such kind terms! He must really be opening up to me. Laughing, I made myself some coffee before making my way down to the locker rooms to start the day.

At lunch I did as told, and slowly made my entrance keeping my head high and back straight. Taking every step carefully I made myself visible to the three men sitting in the room. Soryu and Eisuke were having an intense conversation in hushed voices, while Mamoru sat and watched having a draw of his cigarette every now and again.

I stood waiting to be noticed, as usual, not wanting to speak out of turn. Waiting patiently for a few minutes, even though it seemed like years, the King finally turned towards me. "I was requested." I stated, locking eyes with his dark brown eyes. Has his hair always reached the top of them? Or does he need a haircut?

"The gown you will be wearing tonight is in your room along with the shoes. I expect you to be back down here within the half hour. You have an appointment at one for your hair and make-up, then jewelry. Dismissed." His tone was sharp, and I thought about snarking back at him, but the contract remain in my mind.

I'll behave for three days.

Curtly nodding, I silently made my way up the stairs to the penthouse. I refused to look at the faces of the two other men who were watching my every move, as if they were expecting me to throw together a full-blown riot at any moment.

The dress the King picked out for me was a proper ball gown. It had a strapless sweetheart neckline, and a cinching waist that puffed out just above my hips. The bottom was a dark wine color, a deep reddish-purple, while the top was more interesting. My breasts were covered with what seemed to be a strapless bra type padding that was the same color as the bottom, while the part that covered my stomach and overlapped the neckline was a shear lace. The lace was very simple, but adorned with purple jewels that sparkled every time I moved. The wine color blended so nice against my lightly tanned skin, and brought out the natural highlights in my normally bland hair.

I danced in my room in the dress, I'd never felt so beautiful in my life, so alive in my own skin. I had been forced into these dresses all my life, but it felt as though this one spoke out to the world that I was my own person. Is this how it feels when you pick your wedding dress? It must be. To feel so perfect in your own imperfect skin.

I looked at the shoes; low heeled. He must be trying to get something now, because he's hitting all the right spots. They were a silver pump, but only about two inches off the ground. As I completed the look with them, and giggled to myself at how I looked, I heard a slight knock at the door.

Forgetting that I was supposed to be playing the stone faced girl with no heart, I giggled some more as I yelled for the person to enter. Baba strutted into the room with a look of amazement of his face.

"My, my, Kai! I never thought you could be even more beautiful then you were before, but now you're as radiant as the sun itself! Please, will you accept my invitation to the ball tonight, my lady?" He grinned in amusement as he bowed down to offer his hand.

Laughing some more, I curtsied and took his hand, "I've have to warn you, I'm a little out of practice with my waltz."

Straightening up he wrapped his free hand around my waist. "Never fear, princess, I shall lead you." And with that, we danced around my designated room, laughing together as I stepped on his feet when he improvised moves from other classical dances. The tango does not go well with the waltz.

"You know, Mr. Baba, I've never been a princess before. I've never even felt like one. Until I saw this dress, why is that? How can a dress make a girl feel this way? I've worn lots of ball gowns and nice dresses, and hated them all. Why is it now that I'm in love with a piece of cloth?" I pondered to him a loud. It seemed like he actually cared about what I said, because he slowed down the pace of how fast we spun around the room.

"Kai, do you think possibly it's not the cloth, but the sentiment behind it?" He looked into my eyes as he said this, his light brown ones boring into mine. Thinking about what he meant by that, I nodded slightly.

"I guess so, when my parents forced me it was always mixed with malice and hate, the same with the King and his dresses," I mumbled as I watched the older man's face. "So I guess what you're trying to say is, I'm getting vibes from the dress that it wasn't the King who chose this dress for me, but someone who actually cares for me." He face twisted slightly. Did I miss the point?

All of a sudden I heard a loud grunt come from the doorway. Mr. Ichinomiya was standing there with his arms crossed glaring at Baba and I. I quickly dropped his hand and stepped away while curtsying once more, "Thank you for the dance, Mr. Baba, but it would seem I've been requested elsewhere."

Walking past the King, I when straight to the door, noticing his eyes following me as I walked away. Making my way down the stairs I heard Baba mention something about how graceful of a dancer I was, and the King telling him to stop putting useless ideas into my head.

Sighing, I waited patiently by the elevator for his return. As we sat in silence through the ride downward, I continued to think about what Baba had said to me, but I couldn't manage to think of any other meaning of his cryptic words.

After my hair was done up in curls that cascaded down my back, my eyeliner winged and with red lips, I was finally presentable. The jewelry given to me were diamond that felt heavy on my collarbones. The princess feeling was back after seeing myself in the mirror, and a small smile broke out onto my face while the King took care of business with the employees. Feeling his eyes on me, I regained my composer as he came to take my arm to lead me through the lobby.

No unnecessary touching.

Stiffening up at his touch, I stared straight forward as we descended down the stairwell. I could feel the eyes of my co-workers and guests burn holes in me as I held tightly onto the most important man in the world's arm. I know that they don't see me, or at least recognize me, but it still stirs up controversy in my chest, like I'm living two different lives.

Oh, that's because I am.

Making our way to the next elevator, I sighed when the doors finally shut behind me. Giving me a side-long glance, the King looked my face over looking for, well, something. As we descended lower, the pit in my stomach grew larger. Three nights of this.

Stepping out into the large ballroom, the music was playing loudly as couples dance elegantly across the room. A large crowd mingled off the dance floor toasting champagne and other expensive drinks as deal were made and friendships destroyed. Straighten as the King lead the way, I scanned the room for the other four men. It was impossible to find them, if they were here, because even on the short notice, the I.V.C was full of people as usual.

After mingling with large CEOs and business partners we stepped out of the crowd for a moment so Mr. Ichinomiya could call Soryu about the security in the auditorium down stairs. Not wanting to be accused off eavesdropping, not that I cared about security either, I continued to people watch was the phone call went on.

Noticing a relatively older couple, about fifty or sixty, with the roots of their hair greying and smile lines edged deep within their faces I pondered if I were to ever make it to that age. Between the possibilities of being resold, killed, or just dropped in the middle of a different country, growing old, let alone with someone else, seemed impossible.

Another couple on the dance floor had caught my eye as the two elders looked in my direction. I stopped immediately. The brown eyes of the woman, with her straight hair, and a pencil line of a smile had taken me aback. The man had an all-to-familiar goatee that was greying, and his hair slicked back tightly as his beady eyes scanned the room.

My grip on the King tightened as the woman pointed at me. Of course they would still recognize me, they've seen me like this before. I could feel my hands start to shake as my vision tunneled. I shook my head slightly when my chest tightened up to the point I couldn't breathe.

"Mr. Ichinomiya, I need to refresh my makeup. Excuse me, please." I said turning my body towards him, but my eyes never left the couple. I turned away and walked away quickly before he could give me a time limit.

In the restroom, I took out my anxiety pills and threw them in my mouth. They had to work soon, I was expected to be with him at all times. Gripping the side of the sink, I just hoped that she wasn't able to follow me into this bathroom. That the crowd was too thick. Sighing, I paced the floor, not worried about the strange looks the employees that had to stand by the door were giving me. Eventually, one of them spoke up to me.

"Miss, would you like for me to bring Mr. Ichinomiya in here so he can escort you out?" They spoke nervously. I wondered if I was really that intimidating to them, even when I was like them during the day, only hours ago. Oh, but it makes sense. If I'm their boss' girlfriend, I could get them fired. I hold their jobs in my hands, or so they think.

Giving my best smile, the one reserved for guests, I looked the employee in the eye as I spoke sweetly, "No, darling, thank you. I just heard some troubling news about my father's health is all. I'm his baby girl, you know, so obviously I'm extremely worried. He used to give me mints when I was younger to calm me down, so I thought maybe they would help even now."

They couldn't think that Mr. Ichinomiya's girlfriend was some kind of addict. Seeming to buy the idea my pills were mints, and that I'm concerned for my father, the waitress backed down and bowed to me. Is it too late to become an actress? "Sweetie, what's your name? I'll make sure Eisuke knows how lovely you were to me."

After getting her name, I walked back out to find the King waiting at a nearby table, talking to some other men. Silently walking up beside him, I took my place at his arm. Seeming to realize I was back, he took this as a chance to excuse himself from the conversation.

"Where have you been, woman?" He snarled in my ear. Looking around, I noticed that the couple was making their way towards us, cutting through the crowd. As they got closer I tensed up, ignoring his question. "Answer me, where have you been?"

"The restroom like I said, which by the way, I met a lovely girl with the name Akari, I strongly suggest you give her something in return for being so sweet to your girlfriend," I shot back to him finally meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry, I needed to step away for a moment, as I am acquainted with a couple here and I'm afraid they might try and talk to me." Understanding his he straightened up, and looked to where my gaze settled. The couple had gotten relatively close to us, and were discussing something to each other while pointing in our direction. The King then took me by the elbow and lead closer to them, "Mr. Ichinomiya what are you doing?"

"It's Eisuke, you're my girlfriend, remember?"

Of course, but I wasn't a fan of calling him that unless I have to. Stifling a sigh, noticing how close we were to them I said in the most love struck way possible, "Eisuke, darling, where are we going? I thought you said we were going to mingle some more?"

"Yes, but I though you wanted to dance tonight? It would be a shame to not show the guests tonight just how beautiful you look," he came back with in a charming tone, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He thought I wanted to dance? Leading me passed the two whom were glaring at me, along with the other women glaring at me, we ended up in the middle of the dance floor.

A waltz stared playing from the live band, and couples cleared the way for the King and I. Taking my hand in his, and wrapping the other around my waist, he pulled me closer towards him. I could feel the red spreading to my cheeks as he led us twirling around the floor. I could hear gasps and awing, but they didn't really register as I was too preoccupied with looking into his eyes. His face looked into mine, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

"You danced with Baba, tonight, didn't you?" He asked lowly.

"Yes, he came in right after I got dressed and found me dancing by myself. Is that why you said I wanted to dance tonight?" I asked innocently, biting my lip slightly.

"I just wanted to see how good you were, you stepped on his feet quiet often," He said looking away from me.

Giggling slightly, I felt my nerves melt away. My heart was beating rapidly as I leaned in closer to him. I hated him most of the time, so why did swinging around with him feel so nice and reassuring? "It's hard to go from slow dancing to the tango and cha-cha in the matter of mere moments, you know."

As the song came to a close, I could feel his breath in my ear as he whispered, "You could pass for a princess tonight."

Looking at his face, I thought I could kiss him, or forgive him, or anything that seemed impossible earlier today. I would have given anything to dance with him again in that moment. It was euphoric in the way it chased my fears and anxieties away with each step he took.

But my moment was soon shattered as I heard a shrill, cutting voice beside me, "Mr. Ichinomiya, Kaiyo Hatayama, how nice it is to see you."

I straighten up automatically, the King gave me a hard sidelong glance as he heard my full original name, and the woman had a sick grin spreading across her face.

My mother finally made her attack.


	8. Chapter 8

Elegant eyeliner, perfectly done brows, and enough lipstick for every woman in the room. Yep, it was definitely my mother sneering at me. The crowd had begun to dissipate into swirling couples as my parents came closer to us. Unconsciously I started to tighten my grip of the King's arm and inch closer to him. It's sad that I feel safer in the hands of the man who bought me than I do in the clutches of my parents.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Hatayama. Thank you for coming out to enjoy the convention," Mr. Ichinomiya said smoothly, putting on a business like tone.

"Thank you, Mr. Ichinomiya, for the invite to such a prestigious event. Though I do have to wonder how certain figures have made it into your inner circles," Her sickly sweet voice rang in my ears. Her eyes fell on me as she continued to speak her thoughts to the King about how he should be more careful with who he invites. Of course she would want to understand how someone who was more or less kicked out of an ancient lineage found their way on the arm of one of the richest men in the world.

"Young miss, isn't it unseemly to be holding onto a man's arm in such a way when he is not your date? I would have thought your parents taught you better," My father threw his two cents in, obviously more concerned by my manners rather then who I was with.

I looked up towards the King as a smile grew on my face. This would probably be the only time I feel happy saying this, but without looking towards my parents I said seamlessly, "Eisuke Ichinomiya is my date tonight, in fact, he and I are a couple." This earned me a small smile from the King, making my heart soar.

Their faces showed only pure shock and then turned into outrage. "Eisuke, with all due respect, a man of your lineage and position should not be dating a common woman. Ancient family lines need to stay together and pure," My mother stated giving him a hard look. Her smile had long disappeared and my father just look exasperated.

I looked away, towards the ground. They were right about that. The King and I should never have met in the first place, as long as I no longer carried the Hatayama name. "Kai Gensi is my girlfriend. I chose and fell for her because she is a common woman, but composes herself with almost a royal upbringing. I care deeply for her, and if you disrespect us again, I will have to ask you to leave the convention. Now, pardon us, we have guest to mingle with." Looking up to his face was difficult, but his expression was stone cold. His voice was monotone and unreadable, but he did defend me without a second thought. Bowing to my parents, I turned and followed the King down to the auditorium for the auction.

The elevator ride down was silent and uncomfortable. I kept my eyes on the ground, waiting for him to berate me. As we descended, I finally managed to say what was burning in my mind. I ended up merely whispering the fact back to myself though, "You knew my full name." It came out hoarse, like I was afraid to use my voice, I sounded like a child being scolded.

Feeling his eyes bore into my very soul, he simply stated, "You're my fake girlfriend, of course I would figure out what you go by here at my hotel."

"And now that you know my original last name you're going to look it that as well." I mumbled to myself. How could the night go from wonderful to terrible in a matter of mere moments?

"You can't really believe I didn't already put two and two together. I understand that you're not the brightest, but I'm not like you. I didn't run from my upbringing," He snarked back at me, causing me to wince.

Even more quietly I responded, "You were never abused." Thankfully, he didn't hear me, or at least pretended not to. Those were the questions I was hoping to avoid. Hearing the loud noise signaling the fact we were now on our floor, I straightened up and headed straight for the penthouse box. I sat in my normal seat, towards the back of the box and just stared. The auction had yet to start, and the other guys weren't down here yet.

Placing my head in my hands, I tried to control my breathing. Knowing full well that the King wasn't in the box yet, I asked questions to myself. If he knew I was the disgraced Hatayama girl, why did he give my parents invitations? He must have known they would recognize me. Is this why he said one more I.V.C.? So my parents could track me down? I knew I needed to sort out my own feelings, I never knew how possible it was to feel like you're falling love with someone, then want to strangle them the next moment.

Out of all the emotions I was feeling, anger was the predominate one. Even though I could hear footsteps coming up towards the box, I got up quickly and attacked the wall with my fists. I only stopped when the man in the doorway spoke up. "I will still require you to go to work even if you break your hand."

"I'll keep that in mind," I grunted giving the wall one more punch. Sighing, I leaned my forehead against the wall. "Only two more days. I only have to see them for two more days. Then I can pack up and leave," turning towards the tall man standing in the doorway I gave him a hard look, "This is my verbal two weeks notice. I'll have a written one on your desk in the morning." Then turned my attention to the auction.

I didn't sleep at all that night. Between the panic attacks and flash backs of my childhood, the best I could manage was to not get any water marks on the official form of leave. I was upset that I would have to leave this job, I had made so many wonderful friends that slowly became family. I love what I do, but not enough to stay were my parents knew where I was. It was five o'clock in the morning when I left my desk to shower and get ready for the day. After getting ready, I headed to the King's personal office, ignoring the fact he was lounging of the couch.

"You know the hotel has some of the finest security. No one will be able to harass you," He said, not looking up from his paper. I answered by opening the door to his office and placing the document squarely on his desk, as not to be missed.

"Is there any specific time I need to be back up here today?" I asked, grabbing myself a cup of coffee. Seeing the mug in my hands forcing me to acknowledge the fact my knuckles were still a dark red from last night. Shaking my head, I knew I was going to have to find some excuse in case someone asked. Maybe I could get away with saying I was mugged?

"Come up at the start of your lunch break," he said coldly. His voice was so hard and unforgiving I thought it would physically cut into me. Nodding, I washed my mug and left for work.

The meeting was dull, and I was incredibly spacey while Sakiko bombarded me with questions as to where I've been and what happened to my hands. When I finally finished my first floor and was preparing to flee up to my next one, in hopes of evading any other maids, I ran smack into a broad chest.

"Hey there, pretty lady, what's the rush?" Oh thank goodness, it's just Baba. Straightening up and stepping back, I noticed that he was dressed in a maid's uniform.

"I have work to do on other floors. Mr. Baba, why are you dressed as if you were a maid?" I asked, pointing to his strange choice in outfit.

"I decided to play housekeeper in hopes of spending the day with you, my princess." He said his as if it was the most natural thing in the world, even giving me a wink.

Laughing, I shook my head, "Now Mr. Baba, we can't have guests seeing one of the penthouse men dressed as a housekeeper. They might start to get ideas," I winked back at him, letting an easy smile cross my face.

"If they're all as beautiful as you, then I will gladly give them such ideas. But you possess the only mind I want to invade," His voice came out so smoothly, as he took a step closer to me.

Blushing, I looked away from the handsome older man standing far too close to me. Clearing my throat, I answered shyly, "Well, you're going to have to get to work on that. I leave in two weeks."

As his mouth twisted into a frown, he answered back quietly as to not draw any attention, "Is that why your hands look like they might start bleeding any second? Something happened last night before the auction, right?" He sounded just like an older brother would when comforting a much young sister. It was so relieving to hear that tone, like he truly cared.

"May I come to your room tonight, Mr. Baba? I would really appreciate someone to talk to about everything, but obviously I can't just go tell my friends. Would you be alright with that, sir?" I asked trying my hardest not to cry. Tears had already started welling up in my eyes, and I felt one slip out as I looked into his light brown eyes.

Wiping it away gently with his thumb, he smiled reassuringly to me. "Of course, I'm always open to you." Patting me gently on the head, he turned and made his way to the stairs. Before leaving, he turned back to me with a large grin on his face and shouted back, "And I can say I had the beautiful Kai stay over in my room!"

Laughing I rubbed the tears out of my eyes. It was strange, I honestly felt as though Baba was my older brother, always looking out for me even when I don't realize it. With a slight skip in my step, and a large grin on my face I got back to work.

After I clocked out for my lunch break, I was stopped by my manager Mr. Kenzaki, "Hello, sir. How may I help you?"

"This is Mr. Ichinomya's mail for today, please bring it to him as soon as possible," He said, handing me a large stack of envelopes. It this is what is physical mail is like, I don't want to see his e-mail inbox. I bowed and turned to make my way up to the penthouse.

During the elevator ride up, I noticed how some envelopes were pinks and purples. Taking a closer look at those letters I realized that his fangirls have been sending him gifts in the mail. Laughing to myself about how absurd that was, I put them back into the pile, but not before I noticed the handwriting on one.

A letter from my father's office.

Knowing that my entire life was now illegal, I decided pocketing his letter was one of my least damaging actions. Entering the lounge, I walked briskly past the four men talking, noting that Mr. Ichinomiya was not one of them, and up the stairs to the top. Throwing his mail onto his desk and sitting in the living room, this floor was completely silent. I was alone.

Tearing into the letter I read it as fast as I could.

" _Dear Mr. Eisuke Ichinomiya,_

 _It has recently come to our attention that you have a relationship of romantic intent with our daughter, Kaiyo Hatayama (Kai Gensi). We wish to inform you that we will be sending a formal request for you break off all relations with Kaiyo tonight at the International VIP Convention. We believe it would be beneficial to both parties involved for communication to cease. This request will outline more fully the terms of the agreement should you decide to proceed with us. Though, to make you fully consider this request, we will use every power we have to destroy the Tres Spades Hotel and the Ichinomiya name should you decide to reject the offer given._

 _Thank you,_

 _Dachi Hatayama"_

I stood up only to fall back to the ground. They were going to blackmail him into ending the relationship with me? They could ruin everything for him. They have strong ties to the government and could tear the Ichinomiya clan apart if they wanted. Struggling to get my feet under me, I walked to the large window, pressing my weight against it. Looking down, I fully grasped how high up the penthouse really was from the ground. The glass wasn't as thick as I would have thought it to be, either.

As the panic fully took over, I rubbed my knuckles. Would a punch break the glass? Or was I not strong enough? The only thing I wanted to do it that moment was break something, just like life had broken me. Pulling back my fist I readied myself just as the King waked into the room and quickly grabbed my waist and pulled me into his chest.

Pushing away from him I tried to get away from the man that ruined my life, before I could continue to ruin his. Shaking my head I struggled to get free while tears rolled down my cheeks, I started to scream "Please, please, I have to go, I have to leave, for this hotel, for you."

Forcing me to sit on the couch beside him, he turned towards me, "What are you talking about? You gave your two weeks. I am expecting you to leave then, not break the window of my penthouse." His voice had no emotion in it at all.

"No, no you can't be seen with me again. They'll ruin you! Ruin your family! Ruin everything!" I screamed while shaking uncontrollably. Upon hearing my distressed screaming the other men ran into the living room. Questions came at me too fast and all I could do was shake my head and cover my ears. Everything started to go black as I hyperventilated. Eventually the King told them to be quiet, and Baba scooped me up into his arms.

"I'm taking her into her room. I'll calm her down, don't you worry Boss," He said calmly. We walked to my bed and he gently placed me down in a sitting position. "I'm not going to force you to tell me what happened, but I am going to ask you to stop covering your ears and listen to me."

Nodding, I slowly pulled my hands away from my hand. Looking at him all I managed to get was, "I destroy everything, Mr. Baba."

Taking my hands in his, Baba started telling me a story about the girl he left in Italy. About how when he left he thought it was in her best interest, but oh how he loved her. When he heard how heartbroken she became after him leaving, he vowed never to let a woman suffer if he could help. After he finished we sat in silence, my head on his shoulder.

"Mr. Baba, maybe you guys should have let Soryu drown me in the bay when you bought me," I whispered letting out a pitiful laugh.

"I would have never let that happen," a voice said firmly from the door. I didn't have to look up to know that it was the King. "I read the letter, and I'll make sure they cannot lay a finger on you."

"It's not me I'm worried about. I potentially just ended your career and tarnished your family name," I started, my voice choking again.

"If you think they could do anything, you underestimate me, woman." He walked over and turned towards Baba, "And I thought I told you not to flirt with her."

Shrugging, Baba got up with a laugh, "I can't help it Boss she is the most beautiful woman I've ever met." Winking at me, he turned and left the room.

"Now, it's time for you to wash up, and get ready for the party. Tonight is going to be interesting," Mr. Ichinomiya said with a sickening smirk playing on his lips.

Hi everyone, I would just like to say I AM SO SORRY. School has taken over my life and writing has been forced to the side. Hopefully I'll be able to get more chapters out in this coming month. Thank you for all the support you have given me, it means the world.


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